Crime & Safety

PD: Man Punched Girlfriend Who Retaliated With Kitchen Knives

Middletown Police say a couple that been drinking argued over car keys then got into a physical brawl that resulted both being injured.

A man and his girlfriend are facing assault and related charges after Middletown police say a domestic argument which began over car keys ended with a bloody physical attack with fists and four kitchen knives.

On Aug. 25 at 3:50 a.m., police were called to a public disturbance outside at Braeburn Avenue. Shaun M. Gaskins, 28, of Burgundy Hill Lane, the report says, had a napkin wrapped around his bleeding hand and smelled of alcohol. 

A friend of both said Gaskins' girlfriend, Yvette Dempsey, 33, of Clark Street, New Britain, chased after him with a kitchen knife.

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The report says four knives with blood on them were found on the street between 42 and 49 Braeburn Lane and Dempsey had a swollen face, scrapes on her back and blood on her back. The report says Gaskins and she argued earlier in the night over car keys and she met her cousin and went to GG's Cafe for drinks to "relieve herself of some of the ongoing stress she was experiencing with Gaskins, who she has a child with."

She left the bar with her cousin, the report says, hoping to get the keys Gaskins has tossed in the grass; she wanted to borrow his car to avoid still paying for a rental Toyota Corolla. In the kitchen, police say, Gaskins punched her in the face multiple times and she went after him with a knife.

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The cousin confirmed Dempsey's story, adding she saw him damage her rental car tire.

Dempsey was charged with third-degree assault, second-degree breach of peace, second-degree reckless endangerment — and Gaskins for second-degree criminal mischief, breach of peace, violation of protective order, and third-degree assault.

Gaskins has pending cases in the courts, including traveling unreasonably fast, reckless driving, disobeying an officer signal and violation of probation from second-degree breach of peace and second-degree assault from  and assault of a peace officer and interfering with an officer on


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