Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Daemani King, 18, and La’naysha Anteria Samuel, 18, were taken into custody last night following an altercation at Sweetwater Square Apartments; Azahari Lashaye Samuels, 16, was also detained and charged as a juvenile.
As detailed in the arrest reports, Samuel visited Sweetwater Square (3101 NE 15th Street) on the evening of May 15 to see a friend residing there, and while present, she was purportedly “jumped” by several girls residing at the complex. Samuel managed to distance herself from the group and reportedly left the premises to equip herself with bleach and other weapons before returning for a confrontation with the girls.
At approximately 9:22 p.m., King, Samuel, and Samuels allegedly returned to Sweetwater Square, where they were met by a group of individuals. Samuel supposedly brandished a knife and swung it to fend people off. Several individuals called 911 to report the situation, and the three suspects departed the area but were eventually found and apprehended by law enforcement.
During the fight, King and Samuels allegedly started throwing bleach into the crowd. One victim reportedly got bleach in her eye, and two victims told a Gainesville Police Department officer that they were splashed with bleach; the officer noted that they had bleach stains on their clothing.
During a non-custodial interview, King reportedly admitted that she and her friends went to the complex to retaliate for the attack on Samuel, and she acknowledged that it was a “stupid decision.” When an officer asked how a bottle of bleach ended up in the back of the car she was riding in, she initially said that the opposing group had brought it, but after the officer said law enforcement would be reviewing camera footage, she reportedly changed her story and admitted that she brought the bleach. She also said another makeshift weapon, a sock containing a can of corn, was brought to the complex by her and her friends, but it was not used.
Post Miranda, Samuel reportedly said she did not live at Sweetwater Square and that she initially went there to meet a friend but got into a fight with girls in the complex before leaving to go to her home on the other side of town. She said she eventually came back with her friends to confront the girls at Sweetwater, but they were surrounded. She denied producing a knife at any point.
Post Miranda, Samuels reportedly said she had a bottle of bleach and used it to protect herself from multiple people. Samuel reportedly told an officer that Samuels threw bleach.
Multiple witnesses reportedly told the officer that Samuel had been seen swinging a knife. One witness said she could not describe the knife because she got bleach in her eye.
A search of King’s vehicle reportedly produced a large bottle of bleach, “along with other items that were intended to be used as weapons to cause damage.” No knife was found.
The officer noted that bleach can be considered a deadly weapon because it can cause serious injury, permanent disability, or permanent mutilation.
King, who is listed as an Eastside High School student in a court document, has been charged with aggravated battery causing bodily harm. She has no criminal history, and Judge Susan Miller-Jones set bail at $50,000.
Samuel has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. She was arrested on April 20 for disorderly conduct and battery on a law enforcement officer, and Judge William Davis released her on her own recognizance. Judge Susan Miller-Jones set bail at $50,000 on the new charge.
Information about Samuels’s criminal history and release conditions are unavailable because she is a juvenile.
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.
