A Florida woman was filmed pepper-spraying a couple during an alleged unprovoked street attack before appearing to drive toward them in an incident that left both victims injured.
Felyz Rodriguez and Davin Lopez said they were walking through northwest Miami-Dade on Sunday evening when several unidentified women in a car began shouting insults. The situation escalated after the vehicle stopped and one of the women got out.
Video shows a barefoot woman wearing a bonnet and vivid green shorts climbing from 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 not to put my hands on anybody because, instead of making it worse, I’m trying to de-escalate it.”
The women had left by the time officers arrived, according to the couple. Rodriguez and Lopez were left with bruises, cuts and swelling, while the reason for the alleged attack remained unclear.
“Is it a hate crime, is it something personal, or is it simply you have nothing to do?” Rodriguez, who is transgender, told the news outlet.
“It’s just sad, honestly. Just thinking about it confuses me,” she said. “I’m confused, I’m distraught, I’m just traumatized at this point, honestly.”
The couple are now seeking answers and hope the women will be identified. The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office General Investigations Unit is looking into the incident, and Rodriguez and Lopez said they want to pursue criminal charges.
Video captured a barefoot woman in a bonnet and bright green shorts allegedly attacking a couple during an evening walk in Florida on Sunday
Felyz Rodriguez, left, and Davin Lopez, right, said they were walking in northwest Miami-Dade when several unidentified women began shouting at them from a car
Rodriguez, who is transgender, told NBC she remains unsure whether the alleged attack was motivated by hate, a personal dispute or something else
“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 alleged assault took place near 23rd Avenue and 41st Street as the couple walked together. Lopez said he had been escorting Rodriguez to work, according to a Facebook post he shared.
Lopez said a gray vehicle carrying several “completely random females” began shouting at them. Footage appears to show the car stopped beside the road with its windows lowered as the occupants yelled together while Lopez moved closer.
“They were like, ‘Guys, get out of the road, idiots,’” Lopez told NBC.
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After Lopez gestured toward the vehicle, he said the driver made a U-turn and pulled up across the sidewalk, apparently blocking their path while continuing to verbally harass them.
“Next thing you know, one gets out and starts pepper-spraying me,” he said.
Lopez said he was forced into a fence as the confrontation intensified. He said the women then shifted their focus to Rodriguez, turning the encounter into a physical struggle.
A witness recording the scene from a nearby car captured Lopez looking around desperately for assistance while Rodriguez was 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.