Man arrested following unprovoked potato salad attack on his mother

A 34-year-old Florida man is facing a domestic battery charge for allegedly pelting his mother with potato salad during a confrontation in their home on Saturday evening.



Jonathan Smith from Bradenton was arrested after his mother Jennifer told police officers that he attacked her as she sat down to eat dinner (potato salad and chicken) in the living room. “Jonathan grabbed a hand full of potato salad and threw it,” striking his mother in the face, reported officers, who noted that the woman had “food all over her and in her hair” when they arrived at the residence.

Although his mother yelled for him to stop, Smith “continued to throw food at his mother,” according to a probable cause affidavit. After pelting his mother with food, Smith allegedly pushed her to the ground, pulled her across the floor by her legs, and “spitted on her.” Smith, who works as a pallet builder, fled the home on his bicycle when his mother threatened to call 911.



He was subsequently arrested several blocks from the residence by an officer who noted that the suspect “appeared to be intoxicated.” In addition to the misdemeanor battery count, Smith, who is being held in the county jail, is also facing a probation violation charge stemming from a prior felony conviction. He is scheduled for a September 24 court appearance.