Victim Body Slams Attacker in Attempted Prom Dress Heist at Georgia Gas Station, Police Say

Three Georgia women were arrested after an attempt to steal a prom dress ended in a public brawl. 

Kaylee George was charged with theft by taking, while Morgan Flinchum and Leila DeJager were both charged with battery and theft by taking, Fox 5 Atlanta and WSB-TV 2 reported this week.

During the Feb. 26 incident, an 18-year-old victim met her former friend Flinchum, 20, at a RaceTrac gas station on Beaver Ruin Road near Norcross, Ga., to sell her prom dress.

The two went inside the gas station so the potential buyer could try on the gown, but before the sale was complete, George and DeJager allegedly helped Flinchum in an attempt to take the dress without paying.

“It appears that all the individuals knew each other or had some familiarization with each other,” said Gwinnett County Cpl. Juan Madiedo, per WSB-TV 2.

Both news stations showed surveillance footage of the attack, with the 18-year-old doing her best to defend herself and the dress while outnumbered. 

At one point, while being choked from behind, the 102-pound, 5-foot-tall 18-year-old managed to fully flip one of her attackers over, with the suspect landing on the concrete ground. 

The 18-year-old’s boyfriend was seen in the footage attempting to stop the altercation.

“There was a dispute, which ultimately was a civil issue between the dress and money owed to one of the parties. Obviously, in the video, you can see it became physical, and that’s when 911 was called,” Madiedo said.

Citing a police report, the news stations said the dress initially belonged to Flinchum but the victim had it because her mother helped pay for it. Flinchum reportedly contacted the 18-year-old to buy it. 

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Although the women met to do the transaction during the daytime in a public place, Madiedo offered advice for anyone else looking to make a sale. 

“Here in Gwinnett County, all of our police precincts, including our headquarters here, have designated e-commerce parking,” he said. We invite any citizen out there, if you’re looking to make a transaction, sell any items or purchase an item online, meet that person at one of our designated e-commerce locations.”

The Gwinnett County Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.