Inset: Chyvonne Palmer (Miami-Dade County Corrections and Rehabilitation). Background: The Target Starbucks in Florida where Chyvonne Palmer allegedly attacked a teen (WSVN/YouTube).
A Florida woman is accused of attacking a Jewish teenager inside a Target Starbucks, allegedly striking him with her cellphone while repeatedly yelling, “I hate them,” before trying to swing a chair at him, authorities said.
Chyvonne Palmer, 43, allegedly returned to a table after the confrontation and sat down calmly “as if nothing happened,” according to details outlined in a criminal complaint.
Surveillance video obtained by local Fox affiliate WSVN appears to show Palmer striking the teen with a cellphone and later lifting a chair over her head as if preparing to hit him, before the victim moved away. Police said Palmer had been seated in the Starbucks area when the teen arrived, allegedly triggering the outburst.
“Palmer suddenly stood up, approached [the victim] who was seated on the opposite side of the seating area, and began screaming and yelling at him,” the complaint states. “Palmer then approached [the victim] and intentionally struck [the victim] against his will with a cellular phone, striking him once on the left side of the head and a second time on the left shoulder.”
After the alleged cellphone assault, Palmer “returned to her seat inside the Starbucks area,” investigators said. Police say she later went back toward the teen’s location. It was not immediately clear whether Palmer had been accompanied by anyone at the store.
“Palmer again stood up, grabbed a metal chair, and aggressively approached [the victim] while holding the chair in a raised position, attempting to strike him,” the complaint says. “[A witness] stated that as Palmer approached [the victim], she repeatedly shouted, ‘I hate them.’ It should be noted that [the victim] is Jewish and was wearing a yarmulke at the time of the incident.”
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Witnesses told police they stepped in and stopped Palmer from hitting the teen with the chair, according to the complaint. The victim then ran into a men’s restroom to get away from any further alleged attack.
“[The victim] stated that, based on Palmer’s actions, he was in well-founded fear that Palmer would strike him with the chair and continue the attack,” the complaint says.
As a result of Palmer’s actions, Target employees were required to suspend normal business operations to address the disruption, according to police.
“Multiple customers were disrupted from conducting their business due to Palmer’s disorderly and violent behavior inside the store,” the complaint says.
Palmer returned to her table again after the chair attack and was later arrested by local officers. She was charged with battery, disorderly conduct, and aggravated assault with prejudice.
“You cannot go to that Target under any circumstances, do you understand, ma’am?” a Miami-Dade Circuit Court judge told Palmer during her bond hearing.
Palmer is being held on a $12,750 bond. The State Attorney’s Office and its Hate Crimes Unit are reportedly handling the case.
The post Woman attacks random teen inside Target Starbucks and pummels him with cellphone, then calmly sits down as if nothing happened: Police first appeared on Law & Crime.
