LEESBURG, Fla. — A pregnant mother said she is being threatened after a video of a heated parking dispute went viral.
It shows a bystander stepping in after a man confronted the woman and her daughter about how long it took them to move their car at a Walmart in Leesburg.
The woman said her home has been vandalized and she is getting harassing phone calls.
The father of 57-year-old David Bondi, who police said was the aggressor, told Channel 9 his son was out of control and no one should ever act that way toward a pregnant woman.
He said they were headed to the doctor to check on his son's medication.
"It was an unbelievable situation," said Felicia Russell. "He immediately got out of his vehicle and started walking towards my car. So, at that point, I got out, thinking I could talk to him and reason with him."
She told police that Bondi got upset because her 15-year-old daughter was backing out of a space too slowly. She said her daughter had wanted to drive because she got her permit in July.
"Immediately, he said, 'This person can't drive,' and I said, 'I'm teaching her how to drive,'" Russell said. "And then he got in my face, and I said, 'Please get out of my face,' and he said, 'What are you going to do about it?'"
"Oh, my God. I'm so happy he came to my rescue," she said of Brown. "I feel like he is my guardian angel. I feel like, at that time, God really had my angels looking out for me and my children."
Brown, a concealed carry permit holder, took out his gun, but eventually he put it away.
A short time later, Bondi can be seen on video punching Brown, who punched him back.
Police said they agreed with Russell that Bondi was the aggressor, but Brown declined to press charges.
Russell said she has received support from some and criticism from others.
"I also got threats and emails and horrible calls that I was in the wrong," she said. "They're defending the aggressor, saying regardless of what he did to approach me and confront me, I should have just tried to get away and get in my vehicle."
Russell said she believes someone vandalized her yard.
"They actually went through our trash and cut up all of the bags and poured the trash on our lawn," she said.
Bondi's father said he was shocked by his son's behavior and that it doesn't reflect who he is as a person.
Cox Media Group
