Inset: Tajha Soplato Anderson (Horry County Sheriff's Office). Background: Ocean Boulevard in Myrtle Beach, S.C., where Tajha Soplato Anderson allegedly assaulted a woman with an e-bike battery after she confronted him over a missing hoodie (Google Maps).
A South Carolina man allegedly told a woman "you're going to die" before smashing her face in with an electric bike battery — leaving her permanently disfigured — after she confronted him over a missing hoodie, cops say.
"You're a liability now," said Tajha Soplato Anderson, 28, while assaulting the victim on Sept. 18 on Ocean Boulevard in Myrtle Beach, according to local ABC affiliate WPDE.
Arrest warrants obtained by the TV station outline how Anderson set upon the woman that Thursday after she tried asking him about a hoodie she owned that apparently disappeared, WPDE reports.
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Anderson didn't take kindly to being questioned about the missing piece of clothing and began beating the woman while hurling death threats at her, according to police. He allegedly burned her at one point during the onslaught and left the victim with trauma injuries to her face that required surgery. Police were called to the scene that day and transported her to a local hospital.
Anderson fled after the attack and wouldn't be seen again until Oct. 7, when the victim allegedly spotted him riding an e-bike in the area of Highway 15 and Ellington Street. She notified police and alleged that it was the same man who assaulted her, according to WPDE.
A traffic stop was attempted, but Anderson wound up fleeing on his e-bike before losing control of it and crashing, per police. He allegedly tried escaping on foot but was caught and taken into custody by officers.
Authorities charged Anderson with assault of a high and aggravated nature and resisting arrest. He was booked at the J. Reuben Long Detention Center and given a $50,000 bond for resisting arrest and no bond for the assault. Court records show that Anderson has had numerous run-ins with law enforcement in Horry County, including drug-related arrests and resisting arrest charges.
Anderson was still behind bars Tuesday awaiting his next court date.