A Leesburg woman turned herself in to be charged with aggravated battery for attacking her ex’s new girlfriend and posting the confrontation online.
Daqueisha Beyonka Brown, 22, had a Lake County warrant issued for her arrest for an incident earlier this year in which her confrontation with another women that led to her hospitalization.
On the night of Feb. 24, a female victim recounted her involvement with a battery incident to an officer at the Leesburg Police Department.
During that afternoon, Brown was on Instagram conducting a live broadcast in front of the victim’s residence, located in the 2600 block of Athens Drive. Brown was reportedly broadcasting that she was going to batter the victim, the affidavit said.
The victim was initially asleep in the residence but was awakened by her sisters and alerted to Brown’s presence. She stepped outside to see what was happening and saw Brown standing on the sidewalk. Brown then rushed toward her and struck her with a closed fist, the affidavit said.
The victim put her arms up in self-defense, but Brown continued to strike her with a closed fist. She struck the victim about 30 times and kicked her in the face once she was knocked to the ground. The confrontation was eventually broken up by bystanders, the affidavit said.
Injuries sustained during the attack led the victim to seeking medical attention at Advent Health Watermen Hospital in Tavares. These included multiple scratches and an orbital fracture on the right side of her face. She gave hospital paperwork documenting the fracture to the officer, the affidavit said.
The victim was also able to provide a video of the incident which had been posted on Instagram. The officer viewed the video and reported that Brown was clearly seen running toward the victim while she was on the property and striking her. She was also observed striking the victim an abundance of times as she tried to defend herself, the affidavit said.
The officer reported that the video was posted on Instagram by a subject under the username “The realslimbarbie,” which the victim identified as Brown’s account. The victim also advised that Brown was previously in a dating relationship with the victim’s current boyfriend, the affidavit said.
The officer next spoke to the victim’s sister who witnessed the incident. She stated that she woke the victim and saw her go outside where she was then attacked by Brown. The witness noticed that Brown was wearing rings on each of her fingers and that she struck first, the affidavit said.
Based on this information, the officer drafted a probable cause affidavit for Brown’s arrest for aggravated battery. Officers tried to contact her at her address but were unsuccessful, the affidavit said.
On Feb. 28, an LPD detective was assigned to the case and reviewed the victim’s statement. It reiterated that Brown broadcasted her intent on Instagram, the victim was woken up and went outside, and she was hit by Brown, the affidavit said.
Additionally, the victim advised that Brown was accompanied by her older sister who recorded the incident. They had children in the car when they came, and they saw what happened. She also stated that Brown “busted” her eye socket, “fractured it” and “scratched up” her face, along with hitting her about 30 times and kicking her in the eye while she was down, the affidavit said.
A review of the witness’s statement corroborated this account with some added details, one of which was Brown and her sister threatening to fight everyone in the house. Brown also posted the incident on several social media platforms, the affidavit said.
The detective proceeded to review the After Visit Summary given to the victim by the hospital. It included paperwork regarding how to care for an orbital fracture, prescriptions for an antibiotic and pain medication, and a referral to a plastic surgeon in Orlando, the affidavit said.
Furthermore, he looked over photographs taken of the victim’s injuries. He noted redness and swelling below her right eye and scratches above her right eye, above her nose and below her right eyebrow. There were also scratches, redness and what appeared to be swelling below the victim’s left eye and scratches on the left side of her face near the back of her jaw, the affidavit said.
The video evidence was poor quality upon review due to it being recorded as it played on the victim’s phone. Still, it showed the victim standing in the grass near a sidewalk before starting to back up. Brown runs into view from the left side as the victim continues backing into the yard, the affidavit said.
Brown closes the distance between them and grabs the victim’s face and shoulder area, slinging her to the ground. Once the victim is on the ground, Brown repeatedly strikes her head and upper body. At one point, she had her legs wrapped around the victim’s torso and was grappling with her, the affidavit said.
Seconds later, they are both back on their feet and an unknown subject grabs the victim by the hair to pull her forward several feet. This was possibly in an effort to break up the fight, however the video ended at that point, the affidavit said.
At about 2:15 p.m. that same day, the detective got a phone call from Brown. She asked about officers coming to her old address on the night of Feb. 27 but would not give her current address. She was informed that it was in reference to a fight that occurred in the afternoon, and she wanted to know if both she and the victim were being charged, the affidavit said.
Brown stated that the combat was mutual, and she had the video and text messages to prove it. She dismissed the fact that she went to the victim’s residence as a factor in her being the aggressor. She declined the opportunity to bring the videos and other evidence to the detective but agreed to email it. The detective told her that any evidence would be reviewed to determine if additional subjects warranted criminal charges, the affidavit said.
At about 3:10 and 3:16 p.m., the detective received three emails from Brown, two of which contained video attachments while the third was a screenshot of a text conversation. He reviewed both video clips although neither had audio, the affidavit said.
The first clip appeared to be after the victim and Brown were separated following the initial incident. It showed the victim walk over to Brown and grab her, to which Brown responded by placing her in a headlock. They both fell to the ground still holding each other. The second clip was four seconds and showed Brown approaching the victim from the street before the initial altercation, the affidavit said.
The text message screenshot, despite being described in the email from Brown as “fighting words,” did not appear to be a challenge to fight. None of the information provided by Brown supported her claim that the victim initiated the physical confrontation which led to her injuries, the affidavit said.
Brown ultimately turned herself in to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office on Monday. She was charged with aggravated battery (cause harm or disability) and taken to Lake County Jail. She was released after posting $5,000 bond.