Tashawnea Yeasha Hill, a black U.S. Army reservist who sparked national attention in 2009 when she was attacked in front of a Cracker Barrel by a white male, was arrested Monday after allegedly attacking a woman in front of her home.
Hill, 37, and Janise Roebuck, a nurse, were arguing and "fighting" in Roebuck's front yard in Hampton, Ga. when a neighbor pulled them apart, according to police reports. Each of them was released from the Clayton County jail on $1,500 bonds.
Roebuck, 33, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Hill had forced her way into her home, threatened to "get her" and yelled at her about a man that the two both had relations with. Roebuck said she used a Taser gun on Hill to defend herself and the two continued fighting outside the house.
Hill's attorney Mawuli Mel Davis maintains that Roebuck attacked Hill without being provoked.
"For all those people who have supported Ms. Hill, she’s obviously disappointed that this happened," he said. "She reiterates her innocence in this matter in hopes that it can be resolved."
Roebuck said she plans to press charges against Hill and is still seeking an attorney. She has also looked into filing a restraining order against Hill.
"I reacted in self defense," she said. "I felt threatened. Unfortunately I was just caught up in this situation and I just want to be out of the three ring circus."
Hill's media attention in 2009 came after Troy Dale West Jr. was arrested for kicking and yelling racial slurs at her in front of a Cracker Barrel in Morrow. That attack raised questions about the need for hate crime laws in the state of Georgia and prompted an FBI Civil Rights Division investigation.
Roebuck said it was no coincidence that Hill was caught up in another altercation.
"I think she needs mental evaluation, she needs help," Roebuck said. "The punishment wasn’t severe enough for her. You’re going to repeatedly see her in the news until someone stops her."
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