NORTH MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — A woman is facing multiple charges for attacking a Jewish man sitting at an in-store Starbucks at a Target in North Miami Beach over the weekend, according to police.
North Miami Beach police said the attack happened at around 2:40 p.m. Sunday at the Target at 14075 Biscayne Blvd. and was motivated by hatred.
An arrest report states that Chyvonne Juanita Palmer, 43, of North Miami, “suddenly stood up” and approached the man, who was wearing a yarmulke and sitting on the opposite side of the Starbucks seating area, “and began screaming and yelling at him.”
Police said Palmer hit him twice with a cellphone and returned to her seat. But they said she got back up again and, this time, wielded a metal chair as she went back to the victim.
“She had like a black cellphone, like almost like half a brick,” the victim told Local 10 News.
According to the report, a witness told officers that Palmer tried to strike the victim and “repeatedly shouted ‘I hate them.’”
“I wasn’t looking for problems,” the victim said. “Didn’t interact with her before. (It) was completely unprovoked.”
The witness, along with another woman, intervened to stop the would-be chair beating, police said, with one of them ushering the victim into the men’s bathroom to safety.
Police took Palmer into custody on charges of aggravated battery, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon with prejudice and disorderly conduct.
In the report, they said that “officers attempted to speak to Palmer; however, her statements were inconsistent and unrelated to the circumstances. She continually talked about an unknown female wanting to attack.”
Online records show that Palmer was being held in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center with a bond listed as “to be set” as of Monday morning.
A spokesperson from Target released a statement to Local 10 News regarding the incident which can be read below.
Copyright 2026 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.
