Lawrence woman charged in severe East Lawrence battery attack

Natina Parker, 31, was arrested Saturday evening in the 1000 block of New Jersey Street in East Lawrence after police said she beat and kicked another woman during an argument that began in a car. The victim was found lying on her back, unable to move or communicate well, with her eyes swollen shut and blood coming from her head and mouth.

Police said the woman was taken to a trauma center, where doctors found several facial bone fractures. Officers said she identified the person who had beaten her before police went to a nearby home and located Parker.

The case began when the two women, who knew each other, were riding with a man and a woman in the same car. Police said an argument started while they were inside the vehicle, then continued after the two women got out and the car drove away. Investigators are still trying to piece together the moments leading up to the assault and are asking anyone who saw the people in the car or witnessed the fight to come forward.

The charge filed in the case reflects the severity of the injuries. Under Kansas law, aggravated battery includes knowingly causing great bodily harm or disfigurement to another person, or causing bodily harm in a way that could inflict great bodily harm, disfigurement or death. Parker was charged after the injuries were found serious enough to rise beyond a lower-level assault allegation.

Lawrence police are asking the public to help identify the man and woman who were in the car, along with any other witnesses who may have seen the altercation in East Lawrence. Tips can be called in through 911, to Douglas County dispatch at (785) 843-0250, or to Crime Stoppers of Lawrence and Douglas County at (785) 843-TIPS, or 8477. Lawrence police also list detectives at (785) 830-7430, and department headquarters is at 5100 Overland Drive.

The case is a stark reminder of how fast a personal dispute can turn into a trauma-center emergency in a neighborhood street, with detectives now relying on witnesses and any video or other information to fill in the missing details.