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Staff Report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – On Tuesday, authorities took Nyaja Denise Craig, 27, and A’jayiah Shi-ann Lofton, 22, into custody. They face accusations of assaulting a woman after a disagreement escalated at the Santa Fe Oaks Apartments.
At approximately 1:40 p.m. on March 22, deputies from the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to the Santa Fe Oaks Apartments, located at 8008 Northwest 31st Avenue. Upon arrival, the victim alleged that Lofton attempted to stab and tase her, while Craig was accused of breaking into her vehicle and causing interior damage.
According to a deputy’s report, the incident involved Craig, Lofton, and the victim engaged in a heated dispute with several others. The victim was seated in her car with the driver’s door closed and the window rolled up. Lofton reportedly threatened, “I’m going to stab you,” while trying to open the driver’s side door. She allegedly struck the driver’s window multiple times with a knife, leaving it visibly damaged.
Lofton is said to have then moved to the open passenger side door, where she brandished a taser, arcing it several times, and threatened to use it on the victim.
Meanwhile, Craig allegedly entered the vehicle through the open front passenger door, leaned across the interior, and broke multiple items inside the vehicle in an attempt to prevent a passenger from getting out of the car. Craig allegedly removed the wiper switch, leaving exposed internal wiring, and tore the rearview mirror from the windshield.
Craig reportedly stated spontaneously that she broke the items because the victim and the passenger were trying to push her out of the vehicle, and she refused to get out.
Post Miranda, Lofton reportedly admitted to arcing the taser at the victim but initially denied possessing a knife; she later said she picked the knife up after somebody else dropped it, and she pointed it at the victim in an attempt to stop the argument. However, the deputy reported that a photo taken before the incident showed both the taser and the knife in the small of Lofton’s back, indicating that she had both items before the incident began. The deputy also noted that the damage on the driver’s side window was consistent with the use of a knife in a threatening manner, not solely to deescalate the situation.
Craig has been charged with burglary of an occupied vehicle. She has one misdemeanor conviction (non-violent); she also has a Notice to Appear on a battery charge and is facing a sworn complaint for depositing a fraudulent check. Judge Meshon Rawls set bail at $5,000.
Lofton has been charged with simple assault and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. She has no criminal convictions, but she has a history of dropped battery charges. Judge Rawls set bail at $5,000.
Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.