Three Wildwood women have been arrested for their involvement in a seat dispute at Waffle House that escalated into a brawl, resulting in the hospitalization of a customer.
Four women, three of whom have been identified as 21-year-old Au’chyna Gordon, 20-year-old Ber’niya Rowe, and 20-year-old Justice Akira Wilson, entered Waffle House, located at 7954 NE Eighth Way, Wildwood, around 2:05 a.m. on March 9, according to an arrest report from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office.
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The group came with heated voices and shouted across the dining room as a man stood up from his counter seat to light a cigarette outdoors. One of the women then took his seat, which he announced as his when he returned inside. This sparked a loud verbal altercation between him and the women, according to the allegation.
The man eventually paid his tab and left, but the women continued to rant and scream at him. A few minutes later, four other males arrived at the restaurant, two of whom later got part in a riot, according to the report.
During the altercation with the man, a female client arrived inside Waffle House with her own party. She sat at the counter alone, but she mistook Wilson for an old acquaintance. She apologized for the mix-up, but Rowe said she owed the customer money for a previous physical contact that police enforcement was unaware of, according to the report.
Fearing another altercation, the client left the restaurant so quickly that she left her phone and car keys on the counter. The group, which included all eight ladies and men, forcefully pursued her out to the parking lot. She then pushed Rowe in self-defense in an attempt to escape the persons who were menacing her, according to the report.
At that point, the customer’s group stepped out of their vehicle to assist her, resulting in a major confrontation between both parties. The riot concluded with the women and men getting into separate vehicles and fleeing on State Road 44. The client was brought to the hospital with serious injuries, while her defenders suffered minor injuries, according to the report.
The entire altercation was captured on interior and external surveillance cameras. It generated “fear and terror” among Waffle House employees and customers who were still inside, unable to leave since the workers had locked the front entrance while notifying law enforcement. The report stated that warrants were obtained for all those participating in the disturbance.
Gordon was located and arrested on Sunday afternoon. She was arrested and brought into the Sumter County Detention Center on charges of riot with imminent bodily harm or property destruction. She was released after posting a $2000 bond.
Rowe and Wilson were detained on Friday evening and placed into the correctional center on the same charge. They were likewise released after posting the $2,000 bail.
