Assailant: Nurse Should Have Expected Punch
Accused said female victim "knows how this works"
FEBRUARY 8--After punching a female nurse in the face, a Florida Woman declared that she was “mentally ill” and that the victim “should expect to be 
hit by a psych patient,” according to police.
Letika Poinsettia Berrien, 32, was transported by cops yesterday to Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater for treatment.
As part of the admission process, Berrien (right) was required to change into a hospital gown. “During that process, the defendant asked the victim, ‘Am I being Baker Acted?’” Florida’s Baker Act covers individuals that are deemed to be impaired and in need of crisis services.
Told that she was, in fact, being involuntarily admitted, Berrien allegedly punched the female victim in the face, leaving her with a minor scratch, swelling, and bruising. “Several witnesses were on scene,” a Clearwater Police Department officer reported.
The victim, 33, told police that Berrien explained that she was “a psych patient” and that the victim works “in mental health and knows how this works.” Berrien reportedly added that she would “get away with this,” and that the nurse “should expect to be hit by a psych patient.”
Despite her apparent belief that she would escape unscathed after walloping the nurse--who was in a blue uniform with her hospital ID attached--Berrien was arrested and charged with battery on health service personnel, a felony.
Berrien was booked last night into the county lockup, where bond has yet to be set, according to jail records. (1 page)
