Mother and son arrested for attacking each other

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Sapphira Lynette Crawford, 46, and Keeshay Jamaal Sumpter, 26, were arrested last night after Sumpter allegedly hit Crawford and Crawford allegedly threatened to kill Sumpter while chasing him with scissors.

At about 8:45 p.m. last night, Gainesville Police Department responded to a call about a disturbance in the 1600 block of E. University Avenue. A witness told the officer that Crawford and Sumpter, who are mother and son, live in a car parked in front of a house on that block.

Crawford reportedly said that Sumpter hit her several times, threw a soda bottle that hit her leg, and grabbed her arm. Crawford also reportedly told a 911 call taker, “I’m gonna kill him tonight.” When officers arrived, they reportedly saw Crawford chasing Sumpter on E. University Avenue with a pair of scissors in her hand.

An officer told Crawford to drop the scissors, and she did, but she later reportedly picked them up again, still shouting about Sumpter hitting her.

The officer reported that while they were sorting out the argument, the car that Crawford and Sumpter lived in caught on fire, requiring a response from Gainesville Fire Rescue.

Post Miranda, Sumpter said he never hit Crawford. Sumpter has three felony convictions and three misdemeanor convictions, all for drug offenses. He is being held on $5,000 bail.

Post Miranda, Crawford reportedly admitted saying she would kill her son if he hit her again; she also reportedly resisted being handcuffed and also allegedly kicked the window of the patrol car once she was inside. Crawford has one felony conviction and eight misdemeanor convictions; she also has one misdemeanor and one criminal traffic case pending. She has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and resisting arrest without violence. She is being held on $75,000 bail.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.