Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A 33-year-old man, Jerrell Johnson, was arrested yesterday, facing charges of aggravated battery and property damage. This follows an incident where he allegedly injured a Circle K manager and damaged two computer monitors during a dispute concerning his dismissal.

On the morning of May 2, around 6:35 a.m., Johnson is said to have visited the Circle K location at 4030 SW 13th Street to speak with the manager in her office. He reportedly requested her to reconsider his termination, explaining that he had owned up to stealing items from the store and insisted he hadn’t intended to do so. The manager reportedly pointed out that despite his claims of accountability, he had never compensated the store for the items he unintentionally took.

Johnson allegedly grew agitated, began striking the computer monitors on the manager’s desk, and then tipped the victim out of her chair, resulting in her falling to the ground and hitting her head. Another confrontation is reported to have taken place in the hallway, where Johnson allegedly struck the victim multiple times before shoving her into a solid object and delivering a punch that caused her to collapse onto the floor.

The responding Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy reported that he viewed surveillance video in the manager’s office after IT personnel brought another computer monitor; the video reportedly showed Johnson standing behind the victim’s chair at about 6:35 a.m. There is no audio, but the victim appears to become frustrated with Johnson and turns back to her work at the computers while Johnson continues talking to her.

A few minutes later, Johnson can be seen hitting the computer in front of the victim, completely destroying it. The victim pushes back, and Johnson allegedly hits the second computer monitor, also destroying that one, and then grabs the victim’s chair and tips it over. He briefly stands over her as she kicks at him, then he leaves the office.

The victim can be seen throwing a trash can toward the office door, then she follows Johnson down the hall. The deputy noted that the video did not show what happened in the hall and only their shoes could be seen, but the victim can be seen falling into a fan and then later falling to the ground. The victim then barricades herself inside her office while Johnson tries to push the door open, but she manages to close the door, ending the incident.

The estimated cost to repair the damage came to about $850, and the victim, whose eardrum was ruptured, lost her wages for the day because she had to go to the emergency room and was unable to complete her shift.

Because Johnson left the store before the deputy arrived, the deputy spoke with Johnson by phone, and Johnson reportedly admitted that he had damaged the store computers after being fired. He also reportedly admitted that he had flipped the victim out of her chair but claimed he acted in self-defense after she came toward him after he damaged the computers. The deputy noted that Johnson’s statements were not supported by the video evidence.

Johnson has been charged with aggravated battery and property damage. He has no local criminal history but has several arrests in Hillsborough County and at least one felony and one misdemeanor conviction. Judge George Wright set bail at $80,000.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.