By Joe Johnson
A Madison County woman was arrested Monday night for allegedly threatening a group of people in Athens with a shotgun while yelling gang slang, according to an Athens-Clarke County police report.
The alleged incident occurred shortly after 9:30 p.m. at the Best Western hotel on North Milledge Avenue, where 22-year-old Shanterica Quantel Meriel Hughes came out of a room and pointed a shotgun at a man and two women who were outside and yelled Piru gang “set trips” or call outs that threaten members of another gang, according to the report.
The Colbert woman also reportedly yelled out “soo woo” in reference to the male victim, who told police that he ran with the Crips gang more than 10 years ago. Piru is a set of the Bloods gang and “soo woo” means “Bloods rule,” according to the Urban Dictionary. The male said he responded with set trips from his former gang life, at which time Hughes went back into her room and reemerged with a long gun held to her side and began yelling “set trip me now” and “blood shit,” according to the report.
The three victims “stated that at one point the suspect pulled the gun up” and pointed it at them, the police report noted.
Hughe’s girlfriend, who witnessed the incident and reportedly participated in a verbal altercation with the victims, told officers that the incident began with an argument between her, Hughes and the three victims in the hotel’s parking lot. She said that Hughes got the shotgun from their room but never pointed it at anyone, according to the police report.
Hughes said that as she and her girlfriend were walking to a convenience store next to the hotel, she turned and yelled “soo woo” to a male who was in their room to let him know they were leaving, according to the report.
“Hughes stated that the male victim was the one yelling set trips at her and that he was gang related because he wouldn’t be wearing a blue shirt if he wasn’t,” according to the report. “Hughes stated that while they were in the parking lot the male made statements toward shooting and killing her.”
The woman explained she grabbed the shotgun for protection.
When officers searched the hotel room they located a 12-gauge shotgun, a BB pellet pistol, and an ammo box that contained 13 co2 canisters and 49 shotgun shells, according to the report, which noted that Hughes explained she carried the BB gun “so no one messes with her.”
The two female victims reportedly told police they ran when Hughes allegedly pointed the gun because they feared for their lives.
The victims ranged in age from 26 to 30, two of whom were from Colbert and the other from Athens.
Hughes, of Hardman Morris Road in Colbert, was arrested and charged with three counts of aggravated assault.
She was granted good security bonds totaling $3,000, but the Madison County Sheriff’s Office placed a hold on her release due to a warrant for Hughes’ arrest that they had on file, according to the Clarke County Sheriff’s Office.
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