Miss Grand USA Mekyla Li stripped of title after alleged hit-and-run, previous marriage revelations

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Key points

• She previously held the titles of Miss Grand Massachusetts 2026 and Miss Asia USA 2025.
• Li, 27, is facing two felony charges stemming from an alleged hit-and-run in Los Angeles in November 2024, according to court records obtained by Individuals Thursday.
• 24, 2024, and pleaded not guilty to charges alleging she caused a non-serious injury and a permanent serious injury.
• 10 and remarked she was already looking ahead to competing at the Miss Grand International pageant in India afterwards this year.
• "This decision was made in accordance with contractual policies outlined by the Miss Grand USA organization, " Miss Grand USA authorities stated in an official note.

Miss Grand USA Mekyla Li was stripped of her title just one week after she was crowned against the backdrop of revelations of an alleged 2024 hit-and-run and a previous marriage.

Li's short-lived reign was terminated, and she was published from the "Miss Grand USA Title and all associated duties" for violating the pageant's rules, the organization unveiled Wednesday.

Li was married to Danny Ray Bedwell from Aug. 9, 2018 to Dec. 31, 2019 – a status that appears to conflict with Miss Grand International's eligibility rules, records additionally demonstrated.

Pageant rules state contestants "cannot be or have been married or pregnant" and "must have a clean personal record with no criminal history."

Li was arrested on Nov. 24, 2024, and pleaded not guilty to charges alleging she caused a non-serious injury and a permanent serious injury.

Li and a man named Michael Scobey allegedly swerved into oncoming traffic on Sunset Boulevard and collided with a vehicle driven by Anna Mercedes Aoun, according to a civil lawsuit documented by the outlet.

Aoun alleges she suffered "catastrophic injuries, " including "some permanent disability" and lost future income.

She additionally claims Li and Scobey did not call emergency services after the collision and instead "fled the scene" in a rideshare vehicle.

Aoun is seeking a jury trial and damages for medical expenses, property damage, lost earnings and "various and sundry expenses." Page Six has reached out to Li's rep for comment.

Li was born to Chinese and South African parents and raised "across three continents, " according to her website.

Li won Miss Grand USA on Aug. 10 and remarked she was already looking ahead to competing at the Miss Grand International pageant in India afterwards this year.

"I feel so excited but I'm also already thinking about the journey ahead, " she informed Edgar Entertainment.

Miss Grand USA named Miss Grand Indiana Victoria Oluwakotanmi. This person finished as the first runner-up, as Li's replacement on Thursday.

"Victoria now steps forward to carry the crown, represent the United States, and begin an extraordinary new chapter with the Miss Grand USA organization, " the pageant remarked.

One day before her title was terminated, Li called her victory "surreal" and an "unforgettable night" on Instagram.

"A week into this reign, and I'm still taking it all in. But now, the dreaming becomes doing, " she wrote.

"The crown is on, the lights are waiting, and I'm ready to make this year count and see just how grand this journey can be."

Oluwakotanmi, who joined the military after graduating school, has not addressed her rival's dethroning but has since shared scores of congratulatory messages on her Instagram Stories.

For now, miss Grand USA Mekyla Li stripped of title after alleged hit-and-run, previous remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.