Prosecutors said two defendants used knives as the worker tried to shield her stomach.

FISHERS, Ind. — In Indiana, four women face criminal charges after police said they went behind the counter at a Qdoba restaurant May 17 and attacked a pregnant worker during a dispute tied to a man.

The case now rests on a mix of police reports, court filings, witness accounts and the victim’s own description of a short but violent confrontation inside the restaurant on East 96th Street. Prosecutors say the attack left the worker with injuries to her hand and face and led to felony charges for two of the women accused of carrying knives.

Fishers police were called to the restaurant about 8:30 p.m. after the victim reported that Aniyah Gooch, Dajah Gooch, Darrique Jackson and Armoniah Malone came into the business and moved behind the counter. The victim told local reporters that coworkers tried to block the group before the confrontation turned physical. “They was trying to stab me in my stomach,” the victim said. “I had to protect myself, so I got like stab wounds all on my hands.” Police said the restaurant is in the 8200 block of East 96th Street, near Interstate 69, in a commercial area northeast of Indianapolis.

The victim, who has not been publicly named, told police she was one month pregnant. According to court records, she said all four women assaulted her, but Aniyah Gooch and Dajah Gooch pulled out small knives and tried to stab her in the stomach. Fishers police Officer Madison McPherson wrote in a probable cause affidavit that the attempt did not reach the victim’s stomach, but that she suffered a cut to her left hand and injuries to her face. The victim also told police that Aniyah Gooch and Dajah Gooch kicked her in the stomach before leaving the restaurant.

Investigators described the confrontation as a personal dispute that entered a public workplace. A police public information officer said two women had been arguing about a boyfriend, and the man was described as the former boyfriend of one woman and the current boyfriend of another. The victim told reporters she and Aniyah Gooch had spoken earlier that day about the man. She said Gooch was angry because the victim was pregnant with his child. Police and prosecutors have not said the man was present at the restaurant, and court filings made public so far do not identify him as a defendant or a charged party.

Prosecutors said the case did not end when the women left the restaurant. During an initial court appearance, deputy prosecutor Toula Guedel said the probable cause affidavit included information that one defendant later went live on social media and said, “the baby is dead.” Authorities have not released the full livestream publicly, and the status of the pregnancy has not been fully detailed in public filings. The victim’s reported injuries included scratches to her face and forehead and a laceration across her left hand that court documents described as consistent with a sharp object.

The Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office charged Aniyah Gooch, of Indianapolis, with battery by means of a deadly weapon, two counts of battery resulting in bodily injury to a pregnant woman, battery resulting in bodily injury and possession of marijuana. Dajah Gooch, also of Indianapolis, was charged with battery by means of a deadly weapon, two counts of battery resulting in bodily injury to a pregnant woman and battery resulting in bodily injury. Jackson, of McCordsville, and Malone, of Indianapolis, were each charged with battery resulting in bodily injury to a pregnant woman.

All four women appeared in court the day after the attack, and a judge entered preliminary not guilty pleas on their behalf. Bond was set at $50,000 each for Aniyah Gooch and Dajah Gooch. Jackson’s bond was set at $10,000, and Malone’s bond was set at $7,500. Court records listed pretrial conferences for July 30 and jury trials scheduled to begin Sept. 22. The charges are allegations, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. The victim said the attack lasted only moments, but she described those moments as a fight to keep the group away from her body. She said other workers were threatened when they tried to stop the women from crossing deeper into the work area. “They told the team members they would smack the f out of them and beat the f out of them if they didn’t move out of the way,” the victim said. She said the group pushed past workers before she was struck, jumped and cut.

The restaurant became part of the investigation because the attack happened during a work shift, behind the service counter and in view of other employees. Public reports did not say whether customers were inside at the time or whether the store closed after police arrived. The location sits along a busy corridor that connects Fishers with northeast Indianapolis, making the case both a local crime story and a workplace safety incident for employees who were not part of the dispute.

The victim later said the dispute should not have reached that point. “It really should have been some grown woman stuff,” she said. “It ain’t no pressure about no boy. But they’re getting what they get, so I’m not in jail, they are.” Her comments gave the public one of the few direct accounts from inside the restaurant, while prosecutors focused on the alleged use of knives, the pregnancy and the online statement they said followed the assault.

The next public step in the case is the July 30 pretrial conference. As of June 17, the four defendants remained charged in Hamilton County, and the jury trial schedule was set for Sept. 22.

Author note: Last updated June 17, 2026.