Metro Atlanta
Metro Atlanta

Cops: Woman punched for parking in N. Fulton Publix handicapped spot

Police car with lights on (stock photo).

Credit: Westend61

Credit: Westend61

Police car with lights on (stock photo).
By Mitchell Northam
July 7, 2017

Sandy Springs police arrested a man after he assaulted a woman in a Publix parking lot because she parked in a handicapped-accessible parking spot.

Joel Joa Sierra, of Norcross, was charged with disorderly conduct and taken to the Alpharetta jail on June 25 after witnesses told police that he struck a Sandy Springs woman in the face three times with a closed fist.

According to the police report, officers responded to 8725 Roswell Road around 12:40 p.m. that day and spoke with the woman who said she was assaulted.

READ: Dog killed, man injured in attack by pit bulls

READ: Man killed after hostage standoff at Wells Fargo

READ: Cops: Teen 'lookout' marks 4th arrest in brutal rape case

The woman told police that Sierra and his family became angry with her for parking in the handicapped-accessible parking spot “without authorization.”

Police did not say if the woman had a handicapped-accessible parking pass.

The woman told police that Sierra started yelling at her and taking photos of her and her car. The woman told police that Sierra then assaulted her.

After speaking with three witnesses, police arrested Sierra.

Like North Fulton County News Now on Facebook | Follow on Twitter and Instagram

MORE N. FULTON NEWS...

Sandy Springs police say Ricardo Raffington left his kids alone in a car at 2 AM to pickup a key from a hotel room.

About the Author

Mitchell Northam
More Stories

Keep Reading

Emily Rapach, a wildlife biologist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, walks down Macedonia Cemetery Road in the Allatoona Wildlife Management Area while helping with a controlled burn of 237 acres on Jan. 16, 2025. (Ben Gray for the AJC)

Credit: Ben Gray for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Stop those open burns, metro Atlanta. We have a summertime ban

May 1 marks the beginning of the burn ban in Georgia, which has seen 68% more fires in the first four months of 2025 compared to the five-year average.

Judge won’t halt government’s case against owner of Forest Cove apartments

Court does not have jurisdiction to decide claims by Millennia Housing Management, which owns the condemned Atlanta complex.

Democrats win two seats on Cobb Board of Commissioners, ensuring majority

Former Georgia Rep. Erick Allen and incumbent Monique Sheffield, both Democrats, won Tuesday’s special election for the District 2 and District 4 seats on Cobb commission.

The Latest

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens stares back at a child looking out of a near-collapsing window as he reviews the conditions at the Forest Cove Apartments in the Thomasville Heights community Saturday, Feb. 12, 2022. (Courtesy of city of Atlanta)

Credit: City of Atlanta

Judge won’t halt government’s case against owner of Forest Cove apartments

Stop those open burns, metro Atlanta. We have a summertime ban

Democrats win two seats on Cobb Board of Commissioners, ensuring majority

Featured

What affects the housing market?

Atlantans need a six-figure income to afford a home this year

Mortgage rates have only slightly cooled since reaching a 20-year high in 2022. For hopeful homeowners, it's a tough time to shop in Atlanta.

Former Georgia governor urges Trump administration to support Okefenokee UNESCO bid

University System of Georgia Chancellor Sonny Perdue is urging President Donald Trump to support the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge's bid for World Heritage listing.

OPINION

Patricia Murphy: Trump tanks in Georgia. But Democrats do worse

A new AJC poll shows the only thing less popular in Georgia than President Donald Trump is the Democratic Party opposing him.