Reported by Staff
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – In the early hours today, police apprehended 34-year-old Shantavia Jermicia Venning following two separate incidents. Venning is accused of aggressively driving her vehicle toward a man at a relative’s home and later vandalizing his residence by hurling a doorbell camera through a window.
The Gainesville Police Department detailed that the first confrontation occurred around 9:50 p.m. on May 10. Venning arrived unannounced at the victim’s mother’s residence, where a heated argument ensued. She allegedly revved her vehicle in the direction of the victim’s car. Given a previous incident last summer where Venning reportedly damaged the victim’s vehicle, the victim placed himself between the two vehicles as a precaution. He called 911 after Venning allegedly persisted in attempting to strike his vehicle.
A witness recounted to officers that the victim was shouting at Venning to desist, and they distinctly heard the vehicle accelerating towards him. The witness claimed Venning made multiple attempts to “run down” the victim before eventually departing the scene.
At approximately 1 a.m. on May 11, officers responded to a disturbance at the victim’s home. Venning allegedly tore the doorbell camera from its fixture and launched it through a window, causing it to shatter. The victim was inside the house when this occurred and confronted Venning, leading to a verbal altercation during which she reportedly spat on him.
Following her arrest and after being read her Miranda rights, Venning stated she did not strike the victim. She accused others of fabricating the incident at the victim’s mother’s house to manipulate custody of their child. She then requested legal counsel. Venning initially claimed she could not have been present at the victim’s mother’s house since she only arrived in town at 9 p.m. However, when informed by officers that the incident transpired after that time, she admitted visiting the location to seek “closure” regarding their child prior to her planned relocation from Gainesville.
Venning has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, throwing a missile into a building, battery, and misdemeanor property damage. She has one felony conviction; she was arrested in June 2025 for property damage, but the charge was later dropped, and a sworn complaint was filed for domestic battery after a March 2026 incident, but that charge was also dropped. Judge Susan Miller-Jones set bail at $110,000.
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
