A Florida woman was filmed pepper-spraying a couple during an apparent unprovoked attack, then nearly striking them with a car as they took an evening walk.
Felyz Rodriguez and Davin Lopez said they were walking through northwest Miami-Dade on Sunday night when a vehicle carrying several unidentified women began shouting insults at them. The confrontation escalated after the car stopped and one of the women got out.
Video of the incident shows a barefoot woman wearing a bonnet and vivid green shorts climbing out of the driver’s seat before rushing toward Rodriguez.
“The driver gets out and starts yanking me by the hair, you see in the video,” Rodriguez told NBC. “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.”
The attackers had disappeared by the time deputies arrived, leaving Rodriguez and Lopez with bruises, cuts and swelling. The couple said they still do not know who the women were or what prompted the assault.
“Is it a hate crime, is it something personal, or is it simply you have nothing to do?” Rodriguez, who is transgender, told the outlet.
“It’s just sad, honestly, just thinking about it, it confuses me,” she said. “I’m confused, I’m distraught, I’m just traumatized at this point honestly.”
The couple hopes investigators can identify the women and says they intend to pursue charges. The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office General Investigations Unit is examining the reported attack.
Video shows a barefoot woman wearing a bonnet and bright green shorts allegedly confronting a couple during an evening walk in Florida on Sunday night
Felyz Rodriguez (left) and Davin Lopez (right) said they were walking in northwest Miami-Dade when a car carrying several unidentified women began shouting at them
“Is it a hate crime, is it something personal, or is it simply you have nothing to do?” Rodriguez, who is transgender, told NBC
“This was my life and my partner’s life on the line, so whatever consequences come to them, they have to face it on their own,” Rodriguez said.
The reported assault took place near 23rd Avenue and 41st Street as the couple walked together. Lopez said he was taking his girlfriend to work, according to a Facebook post he shared.
According to Lopez, a gray vehicle occupied by “completely random females” began yelling at them. Footage shows the car stopped along the road with its windows down as the women shouted together while Lopez moved toward the vehicle.
“They were like, guys, get out of the road, idiots,” Lopez told NBC.
Lopez said he made a hand gesture toward the vehicle, after which the driver turned around and stopped in front of the sidewalk. He said the women appeared to stop specifically to continue verbally harassing them.
“Next thing you know, one gets out and starts pepper spraying me,” he said.
Lopez said the assault forced him into a fence before the women turned on Rodriguez, causing the confrontation to become even more violent.
Video recorded by a witness in a nearby car shows Lopez looking around desperately for assistance while Rodriguez is pulled by her hair and dragged farther along the street.
By the time police arrived, the attackers were long gone, leaving the couple with bruises, cuts, swelling and burning from the pepper spray
Shocking footage captured the moment the car reversed with the driver’s side door still open, knocking Rodriguez to the ground
The couple are hoping the women are identified as the authorities investigate the incident, with the pair saying they want to press charges
Rodriguez appears to break free and walk away, but her attacker quickly storms after her, aggressively grabbing her by the arms.
The person filming can be heard calling 911 in the background, rapidly telling the operator: ‘There is a girl in a car trying to run over a guy at the corner of my house!’
Seconds later, the car was seen reversing with the driver’s side door still open, knocking Rodriguez to the ground.
The women have yet to be found, while the couple said they cannot understand what sparked the violence, claiming it was the third time they had been attacked.
‘We don’t know if it’s a race thing because we are Hispanic or because my girlfriend is trans… either way, this was discrimination and completely uncalled for,’ Lopez wrote on Facebook.
Police said an investigation is underway into the incident, which the couple described as ‘terrifying.’
Lopez took to Facebook again Monday, writing: ‘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 added.
