Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Thirty-year-old Chanda Lukeveia Agosto was taken into custody yesterday, accused of using mace on both a minor and an adult at a bus stop located in the Holly Heights region.

On August 29 around 2:30 p.m., deputies from the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office arrived at the 500 block of SW 67th Terrace following reports from several witnesses. They claimed that Agosto had utilized pepper spray or mace on a minor near a bus stop.

Agosto, after being informed of her rights, allegedly stated she intervened in an altercation between two minors at the bus stop and brandished a mace dispenser on her key chain to protect herself from an adult male who she claimed was approaching her aggressively. She reportedly confessed to spraying the adult after stopping the fight but denied using mace on the 12-year-old.

The alleged victims informed deputies that after stopping the fight, Agosto pursued the child, spraying the juvenile’s back with mace during the chase. The adult victim claimed he intervened by positioning himself between Agosto and the child, during which he also got sprayed on his leg and face. A deputy noted photographs showed the juvenile’s back and the adult’s leg covered with mace.

A witness recounted that Agosto chased the minor and attempted to mace him after he disembarked from the bus; the same witness mentioned that the adult was sprayed as he went to retrieve the child’s backpack.

Agosto faces charges of battery and child abuse without inflicting significant bodily harm. Although she has no prior criminal record, Judge Kristine Van Vorst ordered her to be released on her own recognizance.

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.