An Ocala woman is facing multiple felony charges after a dispute over a lighter purchase allegedly escalated into her dousing a gas station clerk with soda and pointing a loaded gun at another employee.
Renee Lunan, 27, is currently being held in Alachua County following a December 15 confrontation at the Circle K located at 9303 NW 39th Ave in Gainesville.
According to the arrest report, officers responded to the gas station at approximately 6:43 a.m. on that day in reference to an armed disturbance. Lunan and another woman had entered the store and spent about 11 minutes in the restroom before Lunan approached the counter to buy a lighter.
The clerks told police they were familiar with Lunan because she cooks food for the station through a third-party company. Citing prior issues with Lunan, the employees refused to sell her the lighter and asked both women to leave.
After they refused to sell her a lighter, the employees say Lunan became agitated, threw the lighter at one of the employees, and walked to the soda fountain.
After filling a cup with liquid, she attempted to use the self-checkout machine. When another employee stood in the way to block the transaction, Lunan allegedly threw the entire cup of soda onto that employee’s upper chest, drenching her.
As Lunan and the other woman went outside, they were followed by the employees, one of whom was holding a broom. The other employee attempted to take a photo of the license plate on the vehicle Lunan was entering. At that time, Lunan reportedly retrieved a pink backpack from her black Ford Focus.
The report states that Lunan pulled a handgun from the bag, “cocked” a round into the chamber, and pointed it directly at the employee.
Both Lunan and the other woman fled the scene but were later identified by law enforcement.
Lunan was arrested and charged with felony battery, which was upgraded due to a prior battery conviction in 2022. She is also charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for allegedly pointing the loaded firearm at the clerk.
According to a first appearance sheet filed with Alachua County, Lunan most recently worked at Taco Bell and is a student at Santa Fe College.