Woman repeatedly runs over neighbour who tried to stop her disciplining sister with belt

'It was just two sisters getting into it,' police say of initial incident

The car park where Tantrina Spencer-Simmons is alleged to have deliberately run over her neighbour (Google)

A woman who was confronted by a neighbour while she hit her younger sister with a belt deliberately and repeatedly ran over the 50-year-old, severely injuring him, police have said.

The incident unfolded in a car park outside an apartment complex in residential San Diego on Wednesday afternoon, when James Shank saw Tantrina Spencer-Simmons using a belt to discipline her younger sister, who is eight years old.

Mr Shank, who lives nearby, tried to intervene and stop Ms Spencer-Simmons hitting her sister.

But the 24-year-old reacted angrily to his intervention and put her sister into her SUV before deliberately driving into Mr Shank who was continuing to remonstrate with her.

The San Diego Police Department said witnesses saw the white Mitsubishi 4x4 “rapidly accelerate” and “intentionally” run over Mr Shank several times, before driving away.

Officers quickly launched a city-wide search for the vehicle, and even warned border officers in case she attempted to flee into Mexico.

Later that evening Ms Spencer-Simmons was caught just half a mile away from the hit and run.

Mr Shank was taken to hospital with severe injuries, including head wounds, an arm broken so badly it may need to be amputated, and a broken pelvis which required emergency surgery.

The good Samaritan’s wife, Zina Salsbury, told the local TV station NBC 7 she could not understand why her husband had been so brutally attacked.

“You just can't help people anymore. There is evil people out there," she lamented.

“I want her to get what is coming to her because God is going to take care of her and it is not going to be good.”

Detectives said they had already located several witnesses who had seen the hit and run unfold, and were also piecing together evidence from CCTV cameras nearby.

Lieutenant Ricky Radasa told reporters police did not actually think Ms Spencer-Simmons put her daughter in any danger with the belt-beating; “it was just two sisters getting into it,” he said.

The suspect does not live at the apartment complex, neighbours said, but is a regular visitor, NBC 7 reported.