A 26-year-old woman was arrested in Marion County after she snatched a female co-worker’s cellphone and attacked her during an argument over who was going to sit in the middle seat of a vehicle.
On Tuesday, a Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputy responded to the Rodeway Inn located at 5751 E Silver Springs Boulevard in Silver Springs in reference to a physical altercation.
Upon arrival, the deputy made contact with the female victim and observed swelling around her nose, lacerations on her left cheek, a hematoma on her forehead, and bruising along with swelling on her bottom lip.
The victim advised that she had gotten into a verbal altercation with Demonica Denise Moore and a male witness over who was going to ride in the middle seat on the way to work. According to the victim, they all worked together as third-party contractors.
While sitting in the vehicle, the victim stated that she began to record the incident with her iPhone 8 ($400 value) due to Moore becoming “more and more irate.” When Moore realized that she was being recorded, the victim stated that Moore grabbed the cellphone out of her hand and threw it into the bushes on the other side of the parking lot.
The victim advised that the altercation with Moore became physical, and they began to push and punch each other. The victim recalled rolling out of the vehicle, and she stated that Moore began to punch and kick her while the victim was laying on the ground.
When Moore stopped the physical altercation and walked away, the victim stated that she was able to locate her cellphone in the nearby bushes and she called law enforcement.
The male witness told the deputy that he observed Moore hitting the victim. When the witness attempted to stop the fight, he stated that another co-worker “stopped him from touching a female.”
The deputy spoke with Moore, and she admitted to taking the victim’s cellphone due to the victim recording her. She also claimed that she began to punch and kick the victim because the victim also “battered” her.
According to the MCSO report, the deputy reviewed a short video that was recorded on the victim’s cellphone, and it showed Moore snatching the cellphone from the victim’s hand.
The deputy also reviewed footage from the hotel’s surveillance cameras. The victim and Moore were observed sitting in the vehicle when the physical altercation broke out.
While the deputy was unable to determine who started the physical altercation, the deputy noted in the report that Moore grabbed the victim by the hair, pulled her from the vehicle while punching her with a closed fist, and she punched and kicked the victim while the victim was laying on the ground.
Moore was arrested, transported to Marion County Jail, and she was later released on $6,000 bond. She is facing a felony charge for robbery by sudden snatching without a weapon along with a misdemeanor charge for battery.
A court date has not been scheduled yet, according to jail records.