A Florida couple said they were attacked and pepper-sprayed by two women after briefly walking in the road.
Felyz Rodriguez, a transgender woman, and Davin Lopez were on their way to work in northwest Miami-Dade on Sunday when they briefly stepped off the sidewalk. According to NBC Miami, the couple said two women in a car confronted and allegedly assaulted them.
The confrontation reportedly escalated when the driver, who was wearing bright green booty shorts, got out and scuffled with Rodriguez in the street. Video shared online appears to show the woman pulling Rodriguez by the hair.
Rodriguez was then thrown to the ground after becoming caught in the car’s open door.
The couple said the incident began as a road-rage confrontation that quickly spiraled into violence.
“They were like, guys, get out of the road, idiots,” Lopez said, describing what happened before the alleged attack.
Lopez acknowledged making a “hand gesture” toward the vehicle after the women shouted at them. He said the driver then abruptly turned around and sped back toward the couple.
Rodriguez began recording with her phone as Lopez walked in front of her and asked the women in the car, “Why the f–k y’all bothering us?”
The couple said both women then got out of the vehicle and began attacking them.
“Next thing you know, one gets out and starts pepper spraying me,” Lopez said.
The sound of pepper spray being discharged can be heard in Rodriguez’s recording as she filmed the vehicle’s license plate.
A second video recorded by a nearby resident captured the violent confrontation at a street corner.
“There is a girl in a car trying to run over a guy at the corner of my house,” the resident could be heard telling authorities during a phone call.
Rodriguez said she tried not to escalate the situation, even after one of the women pulled her hair.
“She yanks me. I’m trying my best to not put my hands on anybody because, instead of trying to make it worse, I’m trying to de-escalate it,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez said she was being assaulted beside the car’s open driver’s-side door when the second woman climbed into the driver’s seat and began reversing.
The video appears to show Rodriguez becoming caught in the open door before being flung onto the pavement.
“Oh my god! Oh my god!” the resident shouted in fear after seeing the vehicle reverse into Rodriguez.
Investigators said Rodriguez and Lopez suffered bruises, cuts and swelling. The two women allegedly fled the scene after the confrontation.
“It was all unprovoked; we’re just walking,” Rodriguez said.
“It’s just sad, honestly, just thinking about it, it confuses me, I’m confused, I’m distraught, I’m just traumatized at this point honestly.”
Rodriguez questioned whether the attack was a “hate crime.”
“Is it a hate crime, is it something personal, or is it simply you have nothing to do?” Rodriguez told the outlet.
Lopez wrote on Facebook Monday that “hopefully they are able to catch these females for causing us distress and emotional/physical damage.”
“People like this who think it’s okay to just antagonize, provoke and ATTACK ANYONE just out of boredom should pay serious consequences… and we gonna make sure of it,” he wrote.
