Woman accuses ‘Jersey Shore’ cast member Sammi of assault

Woman says Sammi from ‘Jersey Shore’ attacked her

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — A 24-year-old woman said Tuesday that she was attacked by a female cast member of MTV’s “Jersey Shore” at a South Beach nightclub.

Kristen DeMinco said Sammi “Sweetheart” Giancola punched her twice in the head Saturday, leaving her with a bruise under her eye. Her attorneys said they filed a police report Tuesday.

The show has been filming episodes in South Florida over the past several weeks.

“This isn’t acceptable for people to be going around hitting people just for TV. I think it’s wrong of MTV, I think it’s wrong of them. I think they do it on purpose,” DeMinco told reporters outside the Miami Beach Police Department. She took off a pair of sunglasses to show the bruise to reporters at the news conference.

DeMinco said Giancola confronted her in the VIP area of the nightclub Dream after she struck up a conversation with a man who was apparently Giancola’s boyfriend.

“She exchanged bad words at me,” DeMinco said. “I exchanged bad words back. She hit me twice in the face and I just backed off right after that. I didn’t want to get involved a fight.”

An MTV spokeswoman declined to comment on the allegations and said she didn’t know if Giancola had an agent. A talent agency in New York said it had once handled some of Giancola’s booking but no longer worked with her.

Ed Griffith, a spokesman for the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s office, said filing a police report is the first step in initiating a police investigation. He said authorities would review the allegations to see if charges are appropriate.

DeMinco’s attorneys said they also plan to file a civil lawsuit against Giancola and MTV.

The phone rang unanswered Tuesday at Dream.