Akasha Adonis — the transgender woman who claimed she was punched in the face by another customer at 3am during a Black Friday sale at Kohl’s in Jacksonville, Tenn., and then brushed off by cops at the scene because she is trans — has some answering to do, say police, who viewed the surveillance tape and say it was Adonis who threw the first punch.
After Adonis and her mother Lisa Bolin, who was at the store during the incident, accused the cops of failing to pull the security tape, it looks like the request has backfired, reports the Jackson Sun.
The incident happened minutes after 3 a.m. Nov. 26 when Kohl’s employees opened the doors for shoppers waiting in line outside the store. According to statements from Bates and his girlfriend, Rebecca Wood, they had been waiting in line about two hours. Adonis, 24, and her mother, Lisa Bolin, told police they arrived shortly before 3 a.m. and saw the line in front of the store. Kohl’s employees motioned for them and some other people to go into another door where no one was waiting. As Adonis and Bolin entered the breezeway, Wood confronted them and told them to get back in line, according to statements. The groups exchanged words, and Adonis stepped in front of her mother. Bates, 31, then stepped in front of his girlfriend, the statements say. No video footage of the breezeway was made available, police said.
While showing the footage, Capt. Mike Holt said police believe the video shows Adonis assaulted Bates first and Bates punched back as the two came through the doors. In her statement, Adonis says Bates began to push and hit her first. “He grabbed the back of my head to latch onto me but he pulled of(f) a hair piece and chunk of my hair. Then he goes to punch me in the mouth sliding his thumb in my mouth like a fish hook.” Bates says in his statement that Adonis landed the first punch. “I walked up and asked why are they talking to my girl like that. Then the taller woman starting(ed) pointing her finger in my face. Then I realized she was a man. I told him, you’re a man and I just saw you chest bumping my woman … She swung at me. He grabbed me with one hand and swung with the other.” Video footage inside the store shows Adonis and Bates in a tussle with Bates’ thumb inside Adonis’ mouth. The police file contains pictures of Adonis’ mouth with several teeth knocked out. Her jaw also was broken. Pictures of Bates’ show scratches on his face and a badly lacerated thumb.
Can eyewitness reports be inaccurate? And video tape be misleading? Certainly. But in determining who threw the first punch (and thus who acted in self-defense), investigators sound pretty certain it was Adonis who started the physical aspect to the fight. Which means the $6,000 in dental work she required after three of her teeth were knocked out is her own responsibility. Meanwhile, the tape was shown to District Attorney General Jerry Woodall, whose office now says it doesn’t plan on prosecuting anyone. Which seems to please both parties: neither wants to press charges.
ChrisM
The guy sounds like a douche. He tries his best to call her “him,” in between poor grammar.
In the news report, he says “somehow” his thumb ended up in her mouth. Gee, since you didn’t just stick it in there I’d venture to say it was because your fist was punching her face. If the guy won’t even admit to punching her, I have a hard time believing it was self-defense. He shouldn’t feel guilty or afraid of talking about a punch thrown in self-defense, should he? Unsurprisingly, the Tennessee media is making this guy out to be the victim.
DR
@ChrisM:
Right, because closed-circuit video is known to be so terribly homophobic or transphobic. It must have fabricated the part where Adonis throws the first punch!
This was clearly a case of “be careful what you wish for”. Adonis knew damn well who threw the first punch and that’s why charges aren’t being pursued.
Mr. Enemabag Jones
No video footage of the breezeway was made available, police said.
Capt. Mike Holt said police believe the video shows Adonis assaulted Bates first
So the police have no video of what happened as they entered the store, yet they assume that Adonis threw the first punch, because they were fighting as they left the store.
This is all because some uppity hoodrat didn’t like that Adonis and her mother were waved over to an open door.
I said it before, and I’ll say it again–if you live in a state with concealed carry laws, buy a gun, learn how to use it, and carry it
Kev C
And yet the cops didn’t find themselves to be negligent when responding. How convenient. And the bigoted cop, Ashley McCullar, continues to call Akasha as Mr. Quick.
The video:
http://www.wbbjtv.com/news%20video/121310/Black%20Friday%20Scuffle.html
Nathan
@Mr. Enemabag Jones: Uppity hoodrat? You racist piece of shit, hopefully a scumbag like you gets your own weapon used against you.
Joe
The man who hit Adonis is not telling the truth.
In the video he said “….somehow my finger ended up in her (Adonis’s) mouth.”
That means you hit her.
I can’t understand how anyone can defend him.
But, the bigger problem seems to be how awful the police are there.
I remember watching an old episode of The Howard Stern Show. Howard had a KKK member rank minorities from best to worst…well apparently in the south the powers that be (whites) put blacks ahead of trans gendered.
If only minorities could work together we could remove the anti-gay Obama, with the rest of the the racists, homophobes, etc people out of power, then we could treat everyone by the content of their character!
UnlappycynC
Hello, definitely wholesome Picture. Hope, settle upon see more! Thanks
tennis essen