TAMPA, Florida – The Tampa Police Department (TPD) is investigating an aggravated assault that occurred between two women during a dog adoption attempt near the 1900 block of Meadowbrook Avenue around noon Saturday.
According to police, a fight broke out during the transaction and one of the women pulled out a gun. Police later confiscated the weapon.
Officers took reports from the scene and spoke to witnesses, but said no arrests were made due to conflicting statements.
ABC Action News anchor Nadeen Yanes spoke with Dominique Amerosa, who runs Rags to Riches Animal Rescue in Tampa Bay, where the incident occurred.
Amerosa said they met with a potential owner for one of their disabled dogs named Bluey, but the meeting did not go well.
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According to Amerosa, the plaintiff became increasingly angry and refused to return the dog. Then the situation escalated.
Amerosa said her mother tried to get the dog back and the argument turned physical. She intervened and thought it was over, but that wasn’t the case, she said.
“I hear her say something and she cocks the gun on camera and she comes toward me and I say, ‘Are you going to shoot?’ And then she stops because I start talking on the phone and I try to call 911. That’s when she puts me in a crouching position and puts the gun to the back of my head,” Amerosa said.
The TPD confirmed that the incident is now being investigated as an aggravated assault.
Amerosa said Rags to Riches has changed the way they will conduct adoption meet and greets going forward.
The investigation is ongoing and police are working with prosecutors “to determine the most appropriate charges.”
I-Team Investigator Adam Walser is investigating another case involving a Manatee County man who discovered serious problems with seat belts and an air bag in two different used cars he purchased from the same dealer.
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