Inset: Chyvonne Palmer (Miami-Dade County Corrections and Rehabilitation). Background: The Target Starbucks in Florida where Chyvonne Palmer allegedly attacked a teen (WSVN/YouTube).
A Florida woman allegedly went berserk on a Jewish teen at a Target Starbucks, repeatedly shouting "I hate them" while pummeling him with her cellphone and attempting to hit him with a chair.
Chyvonne Palmer, 43, calmly sat down at a table after the unprovoked assault as if nothing happened and continued to go about her day, according to a criminal complaint.
Surveillance video obtained by local Fox affiliate WSVN shows Palmer allegedly attacking the teen with her cellphone and raising a chair over her head to beat him with it before the victim left. She had been sitting in the Starbucks area when the teen's arrival set her off, cops say.
"Palmer suddenly stood up, approached [the victim] who was seated on the opposite side of the seating area, and began screaming and yelling at him," the complaint says. "Palmer then approached [the victim] and intentionally struck [the victim] against his will with a cellular phone, striking him once on the left side of the head and a second time on the left shoulder."
Palmer "returned to her seat inside the Starbucks area" after the cellphone beatdown before eventually returning to where the teen was sitting, according to police. It's unclear if she was with anyone else.
"Palmer again stood up, grabbed a metal chair, and aggressively approached [the victim] while holding the chair in a raised position, attempting to strike him," the complaint says. "[A witness] stated that as Palmer approached [the victim], she repeatedly shouted, 'I hate them.' It should be noted that [the victim] is Jewish and was wearing a yarmulke at the time of the incident."
Witnesses told police that they "intervened to prevent Palmer from striking [the victim] with the chair," according to the complaint. The teen darted into a men's restroom to avoid any further attack.
"[The victim] stated that, based on Palmer's actions, he was in well-founded fear that Palmer would strike him with the chair and continue the attack," the complaint says.
As a result of Palmer's actions, Target employees were required to suspend normal business operations to address the disruption, according to police.
"Multiple customers were disrupted from conducting their business due to Palmer's disorderly and violent behavior inside the store," the complaint says.
Palmer returned to her table again after the chair attack and was later arrested by local officers. She was charged with battery, disorderly conduct, and aggravated assault with prejudice.
"You cannot go to that Target under any circumstances, do you understand, ma'am?" a Miami-Dade Circuit Court judge told Palmer during her bond hearing.
Palmer is being held on a $12,750 bond. The State Attorney's Office and its Hate Crimes Unit are reportedly handling the case.