Prosecutors in Dallas County, Texas, are dropping a criminal mischief charge against a woman violently attacked by a man last month following an argument.
On Tuesday, Dallas Police Deputy Chief Thomas Castro said a warrant had been issued for the arrest of L'Daijohnique Lee for allegedly smashing the windows of Austin Shuffield's truck during an altercation in Dallas on March 21.
The district attorney's office however, said Wednesday that it was dropping the charge against Lee and recalling the arrest warrant.
Lee told police that she was driving the wrong way down a street when Shuffield stopped her, got out of his truck and told her to move out of the way because she was blocking the exit to the parking lot.
She said after she moved her car into the parking lot, Shuffield followed her and they got into an argument. When she tried calling 911, Shuffield slapped her phone out of her hand, she told officers.
Cellphone video taken by a witness showed Shuffield smack Lee's phone to the ground before punching her at least five times. He was also accused of pulling a gun on Lee.
Shuffield was arrested following the incident and charged with one count of assault and interference with an emergency call. His charges were upgraded last week to also include unlawfully carrying a weapon and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He has since been released from jail.
Castro said at a news conference Tuesday that Lee reportedly admitted to damaging the truck. During a March 26 interview with officers, Shuffield said the damage was estimated at more than $3,000, which would have made the crime a felony. On Tuesday, authorities verified that amount and issued the arrest warrant for Lee.
"It is not the intention of the Dallas Police Department to pick one side or the other," Castro said. "We simply had information that was provided to us on a criminal offense, and we thoroughly investigated that offense and we took the action that was taken."
A call to Lee's attorney was not immediately returned.