Ex-prosecutor charged with assault; she turned herself in when Starbucks video was made public
A former prosecutor who has reportedly been working as a Philadelphia partner for a litigation boutique turned herself in to police last month after video of an April incident at a Starbucks near her Center City office was made public.
Identified Friday by police, Yvonne Barnes Montgomery, 47, now faces multiple misdemeanor charges over an alleged attack on a 54-year-old woman outside the Starbucks. It included throwing coffee in the face of the claimed victim, punching her and yanking her to the sidewalk by her hair until a bystander intervened, reports a Philadelphia Inquirer article that relies on police and public records.
The incident began inside the Starbucks, where Montgomery is accused of throwing a coffee stirrer at the other woman, then continued with an argument outside before escalating. What sparked the disagreement is not clear.
An earlier WCAU article has a link to the grainy security video of the incident, which occurred at about 9:15 a.m. on April 25.
The Inquirer article reports that Montgomery could not be reached for comment at her Tucker Law Group office and a woman answering the phone on Friday said she was not in that day.
Montgomery does not currently appear to be listed on the law firm’s website. She formerly worked as a Delaware County prosecutor and as a clerk for a now-retired New Jersey Superior Court judge.
Charged with simple assault, among other counts, Montgomery was released on her own recognizance. A court hearing is scheduled later this month.
The Abington Patch and the Associated Press also have stories.
