{"id":811393,"date":"2026-07-20T02:56:14","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T02:56:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/811393\/"},"modified":"2026-07-20T02:56:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T02:56:14","slug":"featherweight-boxer-hannah-rapp-killed-by-road-raging-driver-cops","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/811393\/","title":{"rendered":"Featherweight boxer Hannah Rapp killed by road-raging driver: cops"},"content":{"rendered":"

Boxer Hannah Rapp was killed<\/a> Saturday after a driver deliberately backed into her bicycle while she was riding in Brazos County, Texas, authorities said.<\/p>\n

She was 26.<\/p>\n

Police arrested 31-year-old Charles Medina and charged him with manslaughter, the Brazos County Sheriff\u2019s Office said in a statement. He was being held Sunday at the Brazos County Detention Center on $250,000 bond<\/a>, KBTX-TV reported.<\/p>\n

Accounts and evidence indicated that Medina had sped past Rapp and her boyfriend just before 10 a.m. as all three traveled east on FM 159 in Brazos County, about 100 miles northeast of Austin. He then \u201cstopped his vehicle, reversed, and struck one of the cyclists<\/a>,\u201d the BCSO said. Rapp died later at Baylor Scott & White Hospital.<\/p>\n

Shock and heartbreak reverberated throughout the international boxing community at the death of the up-and-comer, whose passion and furor<\/a> had earned her the nickname \u201cHanarchy.\u201d She had moved from her native Yorktown, Indiana, to College Station, Texas, and worked full-time as a fire and life safety inspector<\/a> at Texas A&M, ESPN reported. A track athlete at Purdue University who caught the boxing bug while earning an environmental engineering degree and went pro in 2024, Rapp had vied for the World Boxing Council (WBC) women\u2019s featherweight title<\/a> against Tiara Brown last month. She built an 8-0-1 record, then lost by unanimous decision.<\/p>\n

\u201dThe loss of Hannah Rapp leaves us heartbroken<\/a>,\u201d WBC president Mauricio Sulaim\u00e1n said in a statement. \u201cShe was an exceptional boxer, but above all, an invaluable member of our boxing family. We join in the grief that overwhelms her loved ones, her team, and all those who had the privilege of knowing and supporting her throughout her brilliant career.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brown weighed in with a comment on a separate tribute of Sulaim\u00e1n\u2019s on Instagram.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an extremely sad day for the boxing community<\/a>,\u201d she wrote. \u201cI cannot even believe this. Hannah was the best I have faced since turning pro. I will never let her name fade away.\u201d<\/p>\n

The WBC decried the \u201cpainful loss of our beloved champion,\u201d exemplary fighter and \u201crelentless warrior inside the ring\u201d who was also a \u201cbeacon of light whose dedication and charisma left an indelible mark on the North American Boxing Association and the great WBC family.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rapp\u2019s family said in a GoFundMe funding appeal<\/a> that their resilient, \u201cbrave and insightful\u201d Hannah had been bike riding with her partner, Will, when Medina committed his \u201cdisgusting actions.\u201d\u00a0The family had raised more than $14,000 toward a requested $22,000 by Sunday evening.<\/p>\n

\"Charles<\/p>\n

Brazos County Jail<\/p>\n

Charles Medina, 31. (Brazos County Jail)<\/p>\n

Will told investigators that Medina was about a foot away as he shot past them, according to the probable cause affidavit. When he threw his hands up and yelled, the driver braked hard, reversed, accelerated backward and slammed into Rapp. Her head hit the rear window, and the impact knocked her into the roadway, he said.<\/p>\n

Medina told authorities he thought they were trying to flag him down and was stopping to help, and said he hadn\u2019t seen Rapp until just before hitting her, according to the affidavit. However, his vehicle\u2019s back hatch was crumpled inward, the rear window was shattered, there were two sets of skid marks \u2014 one set from braking and another set from reversing, which also indicated the driver had been steering toward something, KBTX reported.<\/p>\n

It was Medina\u2019s 13th booking into the Brazos County jail since 2012, KBTX found in a records search. Previously he\u2019d been charged with evading arrest, reckless driving, criminal mischief, theft, speeding, resisting arrest, search or transport, expired registration and license, assault, escape from custody, hit and run, failure to maintain financial responsibility, deadly conduct, and possession of a controlled substance. The network did not mention an outcome for any of the cases. The investigation into Rapp\u2019s death is continuing, authorities said.<\/p>\n

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