A wild, late-night brawl at a North St. Louis County gas station left an off-duty police officer bloodied and hospitalized after two 20-year-old women allegedly tackled him, repeatedly punched him, and stomped on his head, with one even reaching for his holstered firearm, according to court documents.
The chaotic assault unfolded around 2:30 a.m. Sunday at the QuikTrip on Lusher Road in Spanish Lake, where the Hillsdale Police Department officer was working a security detail. Video of the melee, which has since spread online, shows the officer being overwhelmed near the store’s entrance and coolers as the women pile on.
According to charging documents, the confrontation started when Nayonna Griffin, 20, began throwing items at the officer. When he moved toward her, Shaniya Lewis, 20, allegedly jumped in, threw him to the ground, and began punching him over and over while he was down. Griffin then stomped on the officer’s head, the documents state.
During the struggle, Lewis allegedly reached for the officer’s gun but was unable to pull it from the holster. Backup officers arriving on scene had to peel Griffin off the officer as she continued grabbing his hair, kicking, flailing, and trying to run, records say. The officer was taken to a hospital for treatment of his injuries.
Both women were arrested and charged with second-degree assault of a special victim and resisting or interfering with an arrest for a felony. Each is being held on a $100,000 cash-only bond.
St. Louis County police are investigating the incident. Lewis and Griffin are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
The graphic footage has drawn widespread attention for the sheer ferocity of the attack on an officer who was simply working security.
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