Deputies with the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office arrested a man following a domestic violence incident over a box of pizza.The incident took place on Wednesday, Sept. 23 at an apartment building in Port Charlotte, Florida after officers responded to reports of a domestic disturbance.
The victim told officers that her boyfriend, identified as Sean Metcalf, had attacked her with a slice of pizza by slapping it across her face after she attempted to throw the pizza box away.
Charged with Domestic Battery
The victim told officers that she was taking some things to the trash, including a pizza box she thought was empty. As she was about to exit the door, Metcalf told her not to throw his things away and became agitated.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Metcalf, 56, allegedly started yelling at her, telling her the pizza was his dinner and that she needed to stop throwing his things away. She then proceeded to throw the pizza box on the ground, believing it was empty, causing the pizza slices to fall out of the box. Metcalf then became very angry, approached the victim and hit her with the slice of pizza across the face and chest.
When the responding deputies arrived at the location, they noticed grease, sauce and toppings on the victim's face and immediately took Metcalf into custody. He admitted to losing his cool but told officers that he had no idea how the victim was covered in pizza gravy.
Metcalf has been charged with domestic battery and if he is convicted of the misdemeanor charge in the first degree, he could face a maximum penalty of up to one year in jail or one year of probation. A non-contact order was also placed between him and the victim.
Assault over Pizza in Florida
This isn't the first time someone has been assaulted over a pizza-related dispute in Florida. Last year, a St. Augustine woman was accused of aggravated assault after threatening another woman with a knife when she refused to give her a slice of pizza, according to the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office.
De'Erica Cooks, 22, became angry after an unidentified woman said "no" when Cooks asked for a slice of her pizza, according to an offense report. Cooks then said, "I'm going to cut you," while holding a steak knife in her hand, according to witness statements. The woman who was threatened by Cooks told the Sheriff's Office that Cooks then tried to attack her with the knife and that she feared for her life.
A male bystander was able to wrestle the knife away from Cooks, but she managed to grab hold of another one, according to the report. Cooks told investigators she does not remember much during her fit of anger, the report states. Cooks was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill and was held on a $1,500 bond.
In a similar incident, a 37-year-old man suffered minor burns after his ex-girlfriend threw a hot pizza at him following an argument. She was arrested for domestic battery, a misdemeanor, and booked into the county jail.
