A homeless woman was arrested last week after police said she attacked two employees at the checkout line of Ross Stores.
Diane Denise Thompson, 45, of Gainesville is accused of slapping store manager Eric Welland Taylor and employee Alexandre David Evans on May 22, according to a Gainesville Police arrest report. She faces two charges of simple battery.
Thompson was trying to purchase her items at the checkout line at Ross, located at 2643 NW 13th St., when the cash register’s system failed to read her credit card, according to the report. Taylor, who was working the cash register, told Thompson that he needed to verify her credit-card funds.
According to the report, Thompson demanded Taylor give her the items anyway and proceeded to slap him across the left side of his face multiple times.
Evans noticed Thompson slapping his boss and tried to intervene, only to be slapped himself across the chest and arm, according to the report.
When police arrived, Thompson — outside the Ross — admitted to slapping both men. According to the report, she told police that Taylor and Evans didn’t want to give her what she paid for.
As of Monday evening, Thompson remains in the Alachua County Jail in lieu of a $5,000 bond.
Contact David Hoffman at dhoffman@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter: @hoffdavid123.
