A Florida woman faces criminal charges after allegedly assaulting a man with a can of Pringles, an incident that authorities say may have caused “permanent disfigurement.”
Shanika Serdahl, 28, was arrested and charged with one count of aggravated battery following the altercation, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. The incident occurred last Thursday at a 7-Eleven convenience store on International Drive in Orlando, as detailed in an arrest affidavit.
Law enforcement responded to reports of a “physical fight” at the 7-Eleven, where they encountered the victim—a man who had suffered a significant injury. According to the affidavit, the victim stated that the conflict began when a man outside the store commented on his vehicle. Inside the store, the victim asked Serdahl if she was associated with the individual who had made the remark.
The situation quickly escalated.
“[The victim] stated that Shanika eventually struck him in the eye with a Pringles chip can and took off running,” the affidavit reads. The responding deputy observed that the man had a deep cut on his right eyebrow and below his eye, injuries severe enough to potentially result in scarring and permanent disfigurement.
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Police located Serdahl shortly after the incident, south of the convenience store. The victim identified her as the assailant, leading to her detention. Serdahl later admitted to striking the victim, claiming she acted out of frustration over his alleged disrespectful behavior.
“I asked Shanika what happened, and she advised me that while inside the 7-Eleven, [the victim] was saying rude things to her and being disrespectful,” the deputy noted in the report. “Shanika said [the victim] at one point called her a c—–. Shanika admitted that due to [the victim] being rude to her, she hit him.”
However, the victim disputed her claims, insisting that he had not been rude.
According to the victim’s statement, the incident began innocuously. “As I pulled up to the 7-Eleven, there was a guy sitting outside, and as I got out of the car, he said something under his breath. I ignored him and walked into the 7-Eleven,” he told the deputy. Inside, he described Serdahl as appearing intoxicated and standing near the cashier. When he asked her about the man outside, she reportedly turned and struck him with the Pringles can.
A 7-Eleven employee corroborated the victim’s version of events.
“A male customer got hit in the head by a can of Pringles,” the employee stated. “All the guy was doing [was] informing me of another male customer that was laying down on the side of the building. The female called the guy a b—– and whacked him with the Pringles, which literally went flying down one of the aisles. The male customer’s eyebrow was split open.”
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Deputies later discovered a can of Pringles in Serdahl’s possession. When asked if she had paid for the item, she reportedly replied that she was “unsure.” Due to insufficient evidence and lack of immediate access to store surveillance footage, she was not charged with theft.
Serdahl was arrested on the day of the incident. As of this writing, she is no longer listed as an inmate in the Orange County Jail.
Authorities have not commented on the potential long-term effects of the victim’s injuries, but the severity of the wounds remains a significant concern in the case.
