Hallandale Beach, Florida — A dispute that began when two dogs started fighting at a South Florida apartment complex allegedly escalated into a physical confrontation, with police accusing a 44-year-old woman of attacking a senior twice and later kicking the victim’s dog.
Antonia Yeromina is facing multiple charges following the May 11 incident in a shared courtyard at a Hallandale Beach apartment complex. The location was withheld from arrest records because authorities were protecting the identity of the victim, who is 65 or older.
According to Hallandale Beach police, the victim was sitting on a bench with another person while their dogs played in the grass when Yeromina’s dog approached them.
Dog Fight Quickly Escalated
The victim told officers that the dogs initially appeared to be playing peacefully before the situation suddenly changed. The incident was reportedly captured on body-worn camera footage.
In the footage, the victim explained:
“I was in the back with a neighbor, the dogs were playing nice,” she said in the footage. “This woman came with a dog, and her dog and my dog started fighting.”
Both women reportedly grabbed their dogs in an attempt to stop the fight. According to the arrest report, however, the confrontation did not end when the dogs were separated.
Police said Yeromina allegedly turned her attention toward the older woman and began striking her.
Woman Allegedly Attacked Senior Twice
The victim told officers that Yeromina hit her repeatedly in the face and on her arms during the first alleged attack. She also said Yeromina was screaming during the confrontation.
“She started hitting me on my face on my arms,” the victim said, adding that Yeromina started screaming, “I hate you, I hate you.”
According to the arrest report, the confrontation later escalated again.
San Francisco Woman Says She Thought She Would Die During Brutal Pit Bull Mauling
Police alleged that after the initial encounter ended, Yeromina returned and attacked the victim for a second time, again striking her in the face.
The person who had been sitting with the victim then stepped between the two women, according to investigators. That intervention reportedly prevented Yeromina from continuing the alleged physical attack on the senior.
Police Say Dog Was Kicked
After being separated from the victim, police said Yeromina turned her attention toward the older woman’s dog. According to the arrest report, the dog was lying peacefully on the ground when Yeromina allegedly kicked it in the belly area.
The report characterized the alleged act as intentional and described it as an angry response after the other person intervened. The arrest report stated:
“Since the defendant could no longer intentionally attack the victim, the defendant maliciously and intentionally kicked the victim’s dog in the belly area as the dog was peacefully laying on the ground, in what appeared to be an angry response to no longer having the ability to continue her attack on the victim,”
The allegations mean the incident involved not only the confrontation between the two women but also a separate allegation involving the victim’s animal.
Arrest Came Months After the Incident
Although the confrontation happened in May, Yeromina was not arrested until Monday.
Authorities charged her with two counts of battery on a person 65 years of age or older as well as one count of tormenting an animal.
The charges stem from the allegations outlined in the police report. An arrest or criminal charge is not a finding of guilt, and Yeromina remains entitled to due process as the case moves through court.
Judge Sets $15,000 Bond
Yeromina appeared before a judge Tuesday following her arrest. The court ordered her released on a $15,000 bond, but imposed several conditions on her release.
She was ordered not to contact the victim, prohibited from returning to the location where the incident allegedly occurred and barred from possessing animals.
The restrictions are intended to keep the parties separated while the criminal case proceeds.
What do you think about the allegations in this case? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
