Woman accused of threatening to shoot Harmar gas station clerk over candy faces assault, robbery charges

A woman was arrested on her birthday after a clerk at the Marathon station in Harmar accused her of threatening to shoot him if he didn’t pay for her candy and then fighting with him when he tried to stop her from walking out with a pack of cigarettes.

Samantha Cassandra Davis, 27, of the 400 block of Simms Street in Mount Washington, Pittsburgh was charged with felony counts of aggravated assault and robbery. She also is charged with making terroristic threats and retail theft.

Harmar police wrote in Davis’ arrest papers that they were dispatched to the Marathon station Aug. 25 for a report of a woman assaulting an employee. They found her being held by the clerk at the back of the store.

The clerk told police Davis came into the store, put several bags of candy on the counter and asked him for money to pay for them, the complaint said.

Davis is accused of threatening to shoot the clerk after he told her he didn’t have any money; that she would have to buy the items or put them back, according to the complaint. The arrest papers did not say whether Davis had a gun.

The clerk told police that Davis then grabbed a pack of cigarettes from behind the counter and tried to leave, the complaint said.

She is accused of threatening to shoot the clerk again when he stopped her from walking out, the complaint said. The clerk told police Davis tried to put a lighted cigarette out on his face while they were scuffling, police said.

A customer who came in during the fight called 911, police said. The customer told police he witnessed Davis trying to snuff the cigarette out on the employee’s face while the pair were fighting, the complaint said.

Davis does not have an attorney listed in court records.

She faces a preliminary hearing before District Judge David Sosovicka on Sept. 12.

Davis was being detained in the Allegheny County Jail in Pittsburgh in lieu of a $25,000 cash bond, according to court records.

Previous incidents

Davis was charged with a misdemeanor count of escape last Oct. 7 by the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, court records show. She was taken into custody Oct. 15 and held on a $50,000 cash bond.

Davis was sentenced to three to six months in jail March 26 for that charge and was released from custody for time served, the court docket shows.

Davis has previous convictions for access device fraud filed by Robinson police as well as separate cases of theft and simple assault filed by Pittsburgh police. She was sentenced to probation in each of those cases.