Three women from Wildwood have been arrested for their role in a seat dispute at Waffle House that escalated into a fight, leaving one customer hospitalized.
According to an arrest report from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, four women entered the Waffle House at 7954 NE Eighth Way in Wildwood around 2:05 a.m. on March 9. Authorities identified three of them as 21-year-old Au’chyna Gordon, 20-year-old Ber’niya Rowe, and 20-year-old Justice Akira Wilson.
Au’chyna Gordon
Ber’niya Rowe
Justice Akira Wilson
The group entered with raised voices, shouting across the dining room as a man stood up from his counter seat to step outside for a cigarette. One of the women took his seat, and when he returned, he told her it was his. That sparked a loud verbal argument between him and the women, the report said.
The man eventually paid his bill and left, while the women continued yelling and screaming at him. A few minutes later, four more men arrived at the restaurant, and two of them later became involved in the riot, the report said.
During the dispute, a female customer arrived at Waffle House with her own group. She sat alone at the counter but mistakenly thought Wilson was an old friend. After she apologized for the confusion, Rowe told her she owed her for a previous physical encounter that law enforcement was unaware of, the report said.
Worried the situation would escalate, the customer hurried out of the restaurant, leaving her phone and car keys behind on the counter. The group, including all eight women and men, aggressively followed her into the parking lot. As she tried to escape those threatening her, she pushed Rowe in self-defense, the report said.
At that point, members of the customer’s group got out of their vehicle to assist her, and a large fight broke out between both sides. The riot ended when the group of women and the group of men got into separate vehicles and fled along State Road 44. The customer suffered severe injuries and was taken to the hospital, while those who came to her aid sustained minor injuries, the report said.
Surveillance cameras inside and outside the restaurant captured the entire incident. The chaos caused “fear and terror” among Waffle House staff and customers who remained inside, unable to leave after staff locked the front door while calling law enforcement. Authorities sought warrants for everyone involved in the riot, the report said.
Deputies located and arrested Gordon on Sunday afternoon. She was charged with rioting with imminent injury to a person or damage to property and was booked into the Sumter County Detention Center. She later posted a $2,000 bond and was released.
Authorities arrested Rowe and Wilson on Friday evening and booked them on the same charge at the detention center. Both were released after posting their $2,000 bonds.
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