Actions

Woman charged in Henrico bar fight says she was choked, slammed on concrete

Posted at 6:54 PM, May 11, 2016
and last updated 2016-05-11 19:01:12-04

HENRICO COUNTY, Va. -- The Richmond woman arrested after a fight broke out at an Innsbrook bar when she was told to pull up her pants, is speaking out to tell her side of the story.

Fiuschia Fennell was charged with three counts of assault on a law enforcement officer and one count of assault after the fight inside the Beach House Bar and Grille just before 1 a.m. Sunday morning.

Beach House Bar and Grille

Beach House Bar and Grille

Police said management told a woman to pull up her pants when the fight began. Fennell said that woman was her.

In a jailhouse interview, Fennell said the incident started when she was on her way to the bathroom and she was approached from behind.

"Next thing I know I feel a strong yank and I turned around and they were like 'you need to pull your pants up.' I was like what. I'm trying to understand why you actually had to put your hands on me."

The 24-year-old said right after that she felt another yank across her neck, from a different person, and that's when a fight began.

“I was getting choked now out of nowhere and pulled backwards, that’s when everything started,” she explained.

Fiuschia Fennell

Fiuschia Fennell

Fennell said she was detained during the altercation, but no one identified themselves as law enforcement.

“People are yelling ‘don’t treat them like this.’ They’re slamming me against windows, walls, and concrete.”

Police said Fennell, other patrons, bar management and bouncers were all involved.

“Soon thereafter a fight ensued with multiple people versus management and bouncers,” Henrico Police Lt. Joseph Sperry said. “An officer [who] was working off-duty asked for additional units to assist with breaking up the fight.”

Once police gained control of the situation, they determined two workers had been bitten during the fight. In addition to the employee injuries, a police officer was assaulted.

Fennell said she didn’t resist arrest and she believed the way she was treated was uncalled for.

“All of this because of my pants, it makes no sense,” she said. “All I did was want to use the bathroom.”

Fennell said she wanted to tell her story because she feels like she did nothing wrong and new reports only showed the bar’s side of the incident.

CBS 6 reached out to Beach House Bar and Grille for an interview, but they declined to comment.

Briande Jokiah Ross, 23, of Henrico, was charged with assault for her role in the incident.

Fennell will be back to court Monday, May 16.

CBS6-News-at-4pm-and-Jennifer-Hudson-480x360.jpg

Entertainment

Watch 'The Jennifer Hudson Show' weekdays at 3 p.m. on CBS 6!

📱 Download CBS 6 News App
The app features breaking news alerts, live video, weather radar, traffic incidents, closings and delays and more.