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Family arrested following eviction fight with landlord

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Four family members are in jail after police say they attacked their landlord during an eviction.
 
The landlord, Gladys Garcia, told Channel 2 Action News she rented her home on Deidre Marie Court in Gwinnett County, but filed eviction papers after she says she received a number of complaints from neighbors, code enforcement and the homeowners association.

"I don't believe anyone gets blindsided by an eviction. It is a long, drawn out process," Garcia said.

The home and yard are littered with trash and more than a dozen appliances, but before the eviction crew could pack up and clean up, things turned violent.
 
"First, the father struck, then everyone started getting on top, pulling my hair," Garcia said.
 
Garcia said she had a gun and fired off a warning shot.
 
"A guy's force is a lot more than a woman's, so I had to have something to protect myself," Garcia said.
 
Deputies quickly returned to the home and arrested four members of the Martinez family. Miguel Gonzalez Martinez, Jonathan Martinez Delgado, Thabata Abigay Martinez and Suvanee Cherrlyn Martinez are all facing battery charges . 
 
The mother of the family was not arrested. She told Channel 2 that Garcia started the fight.
 
"Yes, she started here. She pushed my husband," Thamar Delgado Martinez said.
 
The woman said all nine dogs in kennels outside the home belong to the family and they were not running any kind of dog or appliance building out of the home.
 
Martinez said she paid all of the rent and was not aware until Monday that they were being evicted.