Woman arrested, charged with making a false report that led to an unnecessary SWAT raid

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

Kaviana Zakaria Taylor, 20, was arrested yesterday afternoon after allegedly making a false accusation that her boyfriend had hit her with a gun, leading to a SWAT raid on her boyfriend’s home.

According to the arrest report, Taylor called 911 on Saturday afternoon and said a man had a gun “in my face” and had hit her with the gun, injuring her lip. She then reportedly screamed and yelled, “He tried to shoot at my car.” When the dispatcher asked if someone had shot at her, Taylor reportedly said he was “trying to” shoot at her vehicle. She then reportedly said, “I think he busted my tire,” and later, “I had a glass bottle trying to hit him with it, and he ran in the house.”

After a Gainesville Police Department (GPD) officer made contact with Taylor, he reported that she claimed that while she and her boyfriend had been sitting outside his residence in her car, he grabbed her work ID badge and slapped her in the chest; she said she defended herself by punching him in the temple, which led to a physical fight in the vehicle. She reportedly said she climbed on top of him and put her knees into his chest, at which point he pulled out a handgun; she said she got scared at that point and kicked him out of the vehicle, then grabbed a glass bottle and charged at him. She reportedly said that she then got into her vehicle and called 911, then her boyfriend came out of his home and pointed a handgun at her before she left the area. The officer reported that she said during the interview that she was not struck with a gun and that her bruised lip came from being punched by her boyfriend. The officer said he asked her to clarify this multiple times, but she denied being struck by a gun, which directly contradicted her statements to the 911 dispatcher.

The officer also wrote that based on Taylor’s 911 call, GPD deployed the SWAT and Emergency Services teams at the boyfriend’s home, using shields and long rifles, based on the belief that the man had hit Taylor with a gun and committed Robbery by Sudden Snatching. Officers arrived with lights and sirens activated, “placing themselves and the public at grave risks due to the heavy traffic conditions and speeds they were traveling, based on the belief [Taylor’s] life was in immediate danger.”

Taylor’s boyfriend was placed in handcuffs and transported to GPD, and his handgun was collected and submitted to the evidence room.

The officer wrote that when Taylor’s boyfriend was interviewed, he said he had never entered Taylor’s vehicle but that he had leaned into the vehicle to give Taylor money; he said she then grabbed a larger amount of his money and put it in her purse. He reportedly said that when he tried to get the money out of her purse, she began punching him in the head and face, at which point he withdrew inside his house. He reportedly told the officer that Taylor then began beating on his vehicle, and he heard glass breaking and assumed she had broken his vehicle’s window. He reportedly told the officer that when he saw police outside, he put his handgun and ammo on the ground outside the back door (where they were located by police) and did not resist being arrested to show he was not trying to hide from law enforcement.

The boyfriend also reportedly provided text messages from Taylor that backed his story, including one that said, “I’m finna call ’em and tell you gotta gun” just before Taylor called 911.

Up until that point, GPD had assumed that Taylor was the victim and the boyfriend was the suspect, but after further investigation, they arrested Taylor on Sunday afternoon. Post Miranda, she reportedly changed her story about being hit with the gun, admitted to punching her boyfriend in the face and putting her knees into his chest, picking up a glass bottle and trying to hit him with it, and hitting her boyfriend’s vehicle. She reportedly originally denied using any object to hit the vehicle, but when she was told that a witness saw her holding something in her hand, she reportedly admitted to using a tire iron to hit the vehicle.

The investigating officer also reviewed her 911 call and noted that she did not sound like she was in distress during the call and that her scream seemed to be “forced” and “un-organic” when she said a gun was pointed at her.

Taylor has been charged with simple battery, simple assault, providing false information to law enforcement, and making a false 911 call, all misdemeanors. She is being held on $10,000 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.