A Kissimmee man was arrested on violence charges after allegedly punching a cleaner protecting the 7-Eleven door.
An officer responded to a battery involving 44-year-old Jerry Louis Manns at 7-Eleven, 737 S 14th St, around 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department.
A cleaner at the company reported that about 11:20 p.m., he went outside to have a cigarette and block the door. The cashier told him to do so because she was using the restroom and didn’t want anyone to come in at that time, according to the complaint.
Despite being ordered not to enter, Manns made his way inside the store. The cashier then walked out of the restroom and spoke with him. Manns left the store and punched the cleaner on the left side of his face, according to the complaint.
The cleaner promptly contacted police enforcement to report the event, despite Manns’ repeated requests not to. He fled the area and was eventually discovered at the Animal Clinic of Leesburg, situated at 1231 West Dixie Avenue. According to the article, he was jailed pending additional enquiry.
The officer later returned to 7-Eleven to talk with the cashier, who confirmed requesting the cleaner to remain outside and informing customers that the store would reopen in a few minutes. Manns, however, was already inside the store when she emerged from the restroom. She approached him, asking why he was inside, and he answered that he was going to beat up the cleaner, according to the report.
She peeked through the entrance door and motioned for the cleaner to move aside so Manns could escape. Manns responded by punching him in the face. He had a swollen, red lower lip and a one-inch laceration bleeding from the left side of his nose, according to the report.
According to the report, Manns had two past convictions for battery from May 2, 2024, and December 10, 2020.
Manns was arrested on charges of battery (previous conviction) and violating parole (battery on a person 65 or older). The Indiana native was booked into Lake County Jail without bond.
He was also arrested in September 2022 for trespassing at a historic property and camping in its gazebo.
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