A North Carolina woman who reportedly skipped town after she was filmed threatening two African-American women in a parking lot has turned herself into police, WCNC reported.
Susan Westwood, 51, handed herself over to authorities in Sunset Beach, N.C., on Saturday and was served with four criminal summons for simple assault and communicating threats, along with an outstanding misdemeanor warrant for the misuse of the 911 system, according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police.
Susan Westwood was booked into the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Department, where her bond was set at $500. (Image courtesy of ABC News)
She was taken to the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Department, where her bail was set at $500. She was later released.
In a video filmed Oct. 19, Westwood is seen harassing sisters Leisa Meria Garris, 52, and Mary Michelle Garris, 49, as they await AAA car service in the parking lot of the Camden Fairview Apartments in Charlotte. The sisters said they dialed 911 when Westwood became belligerent and assaulted them.
“I wanna make sure there’s nothing going on,” Westwood says, getting up in the women’s faces and threatening to “bring out my concealed weapon.” “Is your boyfriend here. Is your baby daddy here? Nobody cares, I’m white and I’m hot … You’re hanging around in a place you don’t belong.”
She proceeds to brag about her $125,000 salary and demands to know if the women live there. It wasn’t long before Westwood’s former employer, Spectrum Enterprises, caught wind of the video, however, and fired her.
“The incident recorded in Charlotte is a blatant violation of Charter’s code of conduct and clearly disregards the company’s commitment to inclusion and respectful behavior,” the company wrote. “As such, Ms. Westwood’s employment with the company has been terminated, effective immediately.”
The Charlotte woman was wanted by police following the incident, during which she called 911 and falsely accused the Garris sisters of trying to break into nearby apartments. Authorities couldn’t locate her, however, and were unable to serve the summons.
“It’s just really strange,” Westwood told the 911 dispatcher. “If you want to know my personal opinion, there’s no car broken down. Nobody breaks their car down in the best part of society. … Nobody breaks their car down here unless they are looking for money.”
Mary Garris said the ordeal has been nothing short of “eye-opening.”
“We want to bring justice,” Garris told ABC News, adding Westwood should face charges. “We want to bring awareness to the community. People are being judged for the color of their skin.
“This happened only because we were standing out and waiting for AAA,” she added. “This is alarming and upsetting.”
Michael Phillips, an attorney hired to represent the Garris sisters, told local station WBTV the apartment complex’s management has since agreed to evict Westwood.
