Local
Gloucester police confirm charges after reported Pilot House assault
Katrina Wheeler says two women attacked her outside the Pilot House restaurant Thursday, leaving her bitten and bruised and requiring an ambulance. Gloucester’s police chief confirmed charges have been filed, but did not identify them; one of the women disputes Wheeler’s account of how the confrontation began.
A Gloucester woman says she was bitten, scratched and left needing an ambulance after a confrontation outside the Pilot House restaurant Thursday. Police have confirmed that charges have been filed in the case, though the police chief has not said what they are.
Katrina Wheeler said she and her girlfriend were leaving the restaurant when two women attacked her near her parked vehicle. She said both women were on top of her, pulling her hair and scratching her face. A person passing by in an Uber recorded part of the confrontation, according to the account Wheeler provided.
Wheeler said one woman bit her hard enough to break the skin. She said she has bruises and scratches, lost some hair and is taking antibiotics. After the incident, she said, she had a seizure and was taken away by ambulance.
Gloucester police responded to the scene, but Wheeler said no one was arrested at the time. The police chief confirmed that charges have since been filed, without providing further details.
One of the women contacted about the allegations said Wheeler started the confrontation, but declined an interview and said she would wait for her day in court. The Essex County District Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Wheeler said the incident has also brought back memories of domestic violence and the post-traumatic stress disorder she spent 12 years working through. She said she had reached a point where she no longer needed medication before the confrontation, which she says has shaken her recovery.