Florida Gym Member Arrested and Released on $150 Bond After Jumping Counter to Pummel Staff Over Noise Complaint

A Miami woman walked out of jail on just $150 bond hours after she was arrested for brutally attacking a Planet Fitness worker who dared to ask her to keep her voice down.

Kiara Bryant, 35, now faces misdemeanour battery and disorderly conduct charges over what happened on 12 December at the gym's Little Havana branch. Video of the incident has gone massively viral, showing Bryant vaulting over the front counter not once, not twice, but three times before she finally cornered the male employee and pummelled him in the face. The worker never fought back, just tried to cover his head whilst Bryant threw punch after punch. He ended up in hospital with a broken nose and what his lawyer describes as severe emotional trauma.

A Bizarre Altercation

Police were called to the Planet Fitness on Southwest 8th Street around 10:11 that morning. The initial complaint? Someone reported a woman 'running without clothing' at the gym. By the time officers showed up, Bryant was already outside in the car park, screaming profanities and trying to confront anyone nearby.

Inside, staff told police Bryant had been making a scene in the women's locker room for quite a while, yelling and being disruptive. When she finally came out, one of the workers approached her. He told her to either stop shouting or leave, otherwise he'd ring the police.

Bryant advanced upon him assertively. The employee pushed her back twice, both hands up in self-defence. But Bryant wasn't backing off. Witnesses say she was clenching her fists and becoming increasingly aggressive by the second.

The Viral Three-Vault Attack

The surveillance footage tells the rest of the story, and it has been watched thousands of times now. You can see Bryant storm back to where the counter is, then launches herself over the desk into the staff-only area. The employee runs. She chases him. He jumps back out. She follows. This happens twice. On the third go, she catches him. The video shows her landing repeated closed-fist punches straight to his nose whilst he tries to shield himself. He never retaliates, covers his face, and endures the blows.

After the beating, Bryant bolted for her car. But gym-goers blocked her path. She got out of the vehicle and, according to the police report, threatened to 'fight everyone' in the car park. When officers arrested her, Bryant admitted to the assault. She told one officer she'd got in the victim's face and 'flinched at him in an aggressive manner' because he'd told her to calm down.

'This Should Be Felony Battery'

Alecsander Kohn, the victim's solicitor, isn't mincing words. He reckons the charges don't come close to matching the damage Bryant caused.

'She took things too far, brutally battered our client, and ultimately, left him in the hospital with a broken nose and severe emotional distress', Kohn said. 'This would be a case of felony battery. Hopefully, through some strong advocacy, there will be a modification of the charges to reflect the severity of the injuries he sustained'.

Under Florida law: if you hit someone and break their nose, that can be charged as felony battery, especially if there's lasting damage. Felony battery is a third-degree felony in Florida, punishable by up to five years in prison and fines as high as £3,750 ($5,000).

Instead, Bryant's facing misdemeanour charges and got released on what amounts to pocket change for most people. The victim, meanwhile, spent time in the hospital and is now back at work trying to move on from being assaulted on the job.

Planet Fitness put out a statement afterwards. They said employee and member safety is their 'top priority' and they have 'zero tolerance for violence of any kind'. The franchise worked with Miami police throughout the investigation, and Bryant's membership has been cancelled.

Why This Matters

This case has touched a nerve because it highlights something a lot of service workers deal with: violent customers who face minimal consequences. The employee was just doing his job—asking someone to follow basic gym rules—and he ended up hospitalised with a broken nose. Meanwhile, the person who attacked him walked free the same day on a bond that's less than most people's weekly shopping bill.

It raises real questions about how the justice system values the safety of frontline workers. When someone ends up in hospital after a workplace assault, should misdemeanour charges and a £112 ($150) bond really be the answer? The victim's legal team certainly doesn't think so, and judging by the thousands of people who have watched the video online, a lot of the public agrees with them.