MedicCook
09-23-2006, 01:26 AM
Shoppers, please don't eat the grapes … or punch security
Violence erupts when woman told not to sample the produce
http://www.twincities.com/images/twincities/twincities/15567/242340267788.jpg
An off-duty St. Paul police officer who told a grocery shopper not to snack on grapes in the produce section suffered cuts, bruises, pulled hair and other injuries when the angry customer punched her and then fought during the arrest, prosecutors stated.
Tameca Sharrell Griffin, 32, of Minneapolis was charged with fourth-degree assault and obstructing the legal process. Both charges are felonies, and she was being held in the Ramsey County jail.
The officer, Laura Syring, 40, a seven-year police veteran, has not been able to return work because of her injuries, said police spokesman Tom Walsh.
A criminal complaint states Griffin outweighed the shorter Syring by more than 100 pounds and kept fighting despite being squirted at least twice with pepper spray. The complaint didn't say whether Syring was wearing her department-issued uniform, but off-duty St. Paul officers working security jobs typically do so.
The incident happened Sept. 14 at the Rainbow Foods at 892 Arcade St. in the city's Payne-Phalen neighborhood. The complaint filed with the charges says Syring was working as a security guard at the store about 6:30 p.m., when she saw Griffin eating grapes in the produce section.
"When Officer Syring approached her to warn her not to eat produce before purchasing it, the defendant immediately became hostile and combative, pushing her chest against the officer and screaming into her face," the complaint alleges.
Syring told Griffin to leave the store, and the shopper responded by yelling an obscenity and then went on with her shopping, according to the complaint.
At that point, Syring told Griffin she was under arrest and moved to restrain her. Prosecutors claim Griffin swung around and punched Syring in the face with her fist, cutting her lip. Syring shot pepper spray at the woman to subdue her, but Griffin knocked the can from Syring's hands and began fighting, the complaint said.
During the altercation, Griffin allegedly pulled out clumps of the officer's hair and knocked her into a checkout counter. A store employee picked up the can of pepper spray and doused Griffin.
When other police officers arrived, they found Syring and the employee grappling with Griffin on the floor.
The complaint said Syring suffered a number of injuries in the fight.
"Several large chunks of her head hair had been pulled from her scalp; her lip was bruised, and she had cuts on her hand and arms," the document says. "She also complained of shoulder, back and neck pain from the assault."
Obstructing the legal process carries a punishment of up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine upon conviction. The maximum punishment on fourth-degree assault is three years imprisonment and a $6,000 fine.
If Griffin posts bond and is released from jail, an order signed by Ramsey County District Judge James Clark Jr. requires her to stay away from the Rainbow Foods on Arcade Street.
http://www.davesdaily.com/out.php?id=20389&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.twincities.com%2Fmld%2Ftwinci ties%2F15568062.htm
Violence erupts when woman told not to sample the produce
http://www.twincities.com/images/twincities/twincities/15567/242340267788.jpg
An off-duty St. Paul police officer who told a grocery shopper not to snack on grapes in the produce section suffered cuts, bruises, pulled hair and other injuries when the angry customer punched her and then fought during the arrest, prosecutors stated.
Tameca Sharrell Griffin, 32, of Minneapolis was charged with fourth-degree assault and obstructing the legal process. Both charges are felonies, and she was being held in the Ramsey County jail.
The officer, Laura Syring, 40, a seven-year police veteran, has not been able to return work because of her injuries, said police spokesman Tom Walsh.
A criminal complaint states Griffin outweighed the shorter Syring by more than 100 pounds and kept fighting despite being squirted at least twice with pepper spray. The complaint didn't say whether Syring was wearing her department-issued uniform, but off-duty St. Paul officers working security jobs typically do so.
The incident happened Sept. 14 at the Rainbow Foods at 892 Arcade St. in the city's Payne-Phalen neighborhood. The complaint filed with the charges says Syring was working as a security guard at the store about 6:30 p.m., when she saw Griffin eating grapes in the produce section.
"When Officer Syring approached her to warn her not to eat produce before purchasing it, the defendant immediately became hostile and combative, pushing her chest against the officer and screaming into her face," the complaint alleges.
Syring told Griffin to leave the store, and the shopper responded by yelling an obscenity and then went on with her shopping, according to the complaint.
At that point, Syring told Griffin she was under arrest and moved to restrain her. Prosecutors claim Griffin swung around and punched Syring in the face with her fist, cutting her lip. Syring shot pepper spray at the woman to subdue her, but Griffin knocked the can from Syring's hands and began fighting, the complaint said.
During the altercation, Griffin allegedly pulled out clumps of the officer's hair and knocked her into a checkout counter. A store employee picked up the can of pepper spray and doused Griffin.
When other police officers arrived, they found Syring and the employee grappling with Griffin on the floor.
The complaint said Syring suffered a number of injuries in the fight.
"Several large chunks of her head hair had been pulled from her scalp; her lip was bruised, and she had cuts on her hand and arms," the document says. "She also complained of shoulder, back and neck pain from the assault."
Obstructing the legal process carries a punishment of up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine upon conviction. The maximum punishment on fourth-degree assault is three years imprisonment and a $6,000 fine.
If Griffin posts bond and is released from jail, an order signed by Ramsey County District Judge James Clark Jr. requires her to stay away from the Rainbow Foods on Arcade Street.
http://www.davesdaily.com/out.php?id=20389&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.twincities.com%2Fmld%2Ftwinci ties%2F15568062.htm