Florida Woman Pretends to Help Cyclist Almost Hit By Car, Then Punches and Robs Her

When you're a bicyclist, especially in Florida, don't trust anyone else on the road with your safety. A female bicyclist in Gainesville found that out the hard way. After the cyclist was sideswiped by a car, another woman offered to help her. Instead, she punched her in the face and...

By Kyle Munzenrieder

February 13, 2012

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When you're a bicyclist, especially in Florida, don't trust anyone else on the road with your safety. A female bicyclist in Gainesville found that out the hard way. After the cyclist was sideswiped by a car, another woman offered to help her. Instead, she punched her in the face and snatched her purse.

According to The Gainesville Sun, the incident occurred around 12:15 a.m on Saturday. The unidentified cyclist was walking her bike along the road after being sideswiped by a car.

April Michelle Cottman, 41, witnessed the sideswiping and approached the woman as if to offer her help. Instead she decided to figuratively kick her when she was down. Cottman took her own approach to being a bicycle thief.

Cottman punched the cyclist in her face. She then swiped the woman's purse and ran into her nearby home, police say.

Police were called and Cottman was promptly arrested.

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