A prom dress sale turned chaotic at a Georgia gas station when an 18-year-old seller demonstrated impressive self-defense skills, flipping and body slamming one assailant onto the pavement during an attempted theft.
The incident occurred at a RaceTrac gas station in Gwinnett County, approximately 30 miles outside Atlanta, where the target had arranged to meet former friend Morgan Flinchum, 20, to sell her a dress on February 26, according to Fox 5 Atlanta.
Police reports indicate the dress originally belonged to Flinchum but was in the target’s possession because her mother had helped pay for it. Flinchum had contacted her to purchase it outright.
When they met, Flinchum requested to try on the dress in the gas station’s bathroom, and the seller agreed. However, inside the bathroom, a friend of Flinchum’s was waiting and grabbed the dress before running away.
The seller pursued the dress thief and caught up, leading to a confrontation near the gas pumps. The seller’s boyfriend intervened and managed to retrieve the dress, but the situation escalated further.
Surveillance footage captured the incident, showing a struggle between the target, her boyfriend, and the alleged thieves. At one point, when an assailant attempted to choke the smaller target from behind, she successfully executed a flip, slamming her attacker onto the ground.
Gwinnett County Police arrived at the scene and reviewed the surveillance footage. Following an investigation, Flinchum, Kaylee George, and Lelia DeJager turned themselves in to authorities.
Flinchum and Dejager face charges of battery and theft by taking, while George has been charged with theft by taking.
“I would say it’s not normally something we have to investigate, an argument over a prom dress,” Cpl. Juan Madiedo told Fox 5 Atlanta.
The Gwinnett County Police emphasized this incident highlights the importance of conducting person-to-person sales in public places with cameras. The department noted all their precincts have designated parking spots monitored by video for safe sales transactions.
“Here in Gwinnett County, all of our police precincts, including our headquarters here, have designated e-commerce parking,” Madiedo said. “We invite any citizen out there, if you’re looking to make a transaction, sell any items or purchase an item online, meet that person at one of our designated e-commerce locations.”
