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It’s a gesture that any cyclist has probably made at a car that veered too close — and cops say it cost boxing star Hannah Rapp her life.
Rapp, 26, an up-and-coming featherweight fighter, was cycling along a two-lane highway, FM 159, in Brazos County, Texas, on Saturday, when investigators say 31-year-old Charles Medina overtook her and her boyfriend Will Pollalis in his car with just a foot to spare.
Pollalis yelled at the driver and raised his hands in protest, according to an affidavit reported by KBTX.
Medina, a career criminal, then allegedly slammed on the brakes, skidded to a stop, put his vehicle in reverse and backed up, ramming Rapp.
The force of the impact caused Rapp’s head to break the rear window glass on the vehicle and knocked her off her bike.
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She was rushed to a nearby hospital where she died of her injuries.
The driver claimed he thought he was being hailed by the boyfriend and stopped before reversing slowly at around 15 mph to talk to him, as per the affidavit.
But authorities said the damage to Medina’s vehicle, including a shattered rear window and crushed rear hatch, as well as two separate sets of skid marks on the road, did not match his story.
Instead, the signs indicated a heavy impact, as if the car had braked suddenly and accelerated into reverse before striking Rapp.
Medina was arrested and charged with manslaughter and was being held on a $250,000 bond as of Monday.
The alleged killer has a lengthy rap sheet, with 13 previous arrests in Brazos County alone since 2012, according to online jail records obtained by KBTX.
They include assault, hit-and-run, deadly conduct, escape from custody, theft, and possession of a controlled substance, as well as a series of driving offenses.
Tributes have been paid to Rapp, who ran track at Purdue University before transitioning to boxing, moving to Texas in 2024 and working as a fire and life safety inspector at Texas A&M while being a featherweight boxer out of Bryan, TX.
A fundraiser set up by a friend to support Rapp’s loved ones has already raised more than $20,000 as of Monday.
“Hannah was resilient. She was brave and insightful, always pushing others to do their best,” read the fundraiser.
“She loved her family so incredibly much, and moving from Indiana to Texas meant distance for her friends and family,” the fundraiser continued. “Hannah was an inspiration. Even on her hardest days, she continued to bring love, laughter, and light into the lives of others.”
Her boxing coach, Carl Perry, described how he “broke down and cried” when he learned the news.
“She had positivity just coming from her. You could feel it when she walked into the gym. If there truly are angels on Earth, she was one of them,” Perry told News 8.
He described how the first time she walked into his gym, she asked to spar with the men, before she “commenced to putting a whooping” on one of the boys.
Perry believed Rapp would have become a world champion within a matter of time.
“I think she would have become a hall of famer,” he added.
A growing memorial is in place outside Bryan College Station Boxing Gym, while plans are in place for a candlelit vigil this week.
