30-year-old Justin Canuti was jailed on May 9th after assaulting his girlfriend in a drunken rage under the Shelby Street Bridge. A witness told police she was flagged down and saw Cantui and Savanna Wallace arguing. During the argument, she saw Cantui slap Wallace so hard that he split the skin on her cheek. Police tried to speak with Wallace, and she was uncooperative, but they observed the laceration on her cheek that required stitches. Canuti told police that Wallace started yelling at him about where he had been and things of that nature, then got in his face angrily and swung at him. Canuti said he blocked the punch and pushed her, causing her to fall. When she got up, she started yelling and hitting him again.
Canuti told police he let Wallace know that he would defend himself if she didn’t stop. Then he kicked her in the leg, causing her to fall again, and she got up and continued hitting him. Police could smell alcohol coming from Canuti and observed his bloodshot watery eyes. His speech was slurred as he told his side of the story, which was inconsistent with the statement given by Wallace. Due to his level of intoxication, he was a danger to himself and others and was taken into custody.