A couple from Florida reported that they were attacked and pepper-sprayed by two women who were apparently angered over them walking briefly in the street.
Felyz Rodriguez, who identifies as transgender, and Davin Lopez had just stepped off the sidewalk while heading to work in northwest Miami-Dade on Sunday when they faced the aggressive behavior from the two women in a car, according to reports.
The situation escalated dramatically when the driver, donning bright green shorts, engaged in a physical struggle with Rodriguez, pulling at her hair, as captured in a video shared online.
Rodriguez ended up on the ground after getting tangled in the car’s open door.
The couple later explained that tensions rose during this road rage incident.
Lopez recounted that the women yelled at them to get out of the way, referring to them as “idiots.” He admitted to responding with a “hand gesture,” which seemed to provoke the driver into turning around and speeding back toward them.
Rodriguez began filming the encounter, during which Lopez confronted the women in the car, questioning their motives. Shortly after, the two women exited the vehicle and began their assault.
“Next thing you know, one gets out and starts pepper spraying me,” Lopez recalled.
The sound of the pepper spray being released is audible in Rodriguez’s recording as she attempted to document the vehicle’s license plate.
Another nearby resident captured the chaotic scene on video, describing to authorities a woman attempting to run over Lopez.
Rodriguez, despite being assaulted, mentioned that she didn’t want to exacerbate the confrontation.
Another video showed the driver, identified as one of the assailants and dressed in green shorts and a tank top, pulling Rodriguez by the hair.
Lopez stated that during the initial moments of the attack, one of the women pepper-sprayed him.
“She yanks me, I’m trying my best to not put my hands on anybody because, instead of making it worse, I’m trying to de-escalate it,” he said.
Rodriguez described how, while she was being attacked at the car’s driver’s door, the other woman climbed into the driver’s seat and reversed the vehicle.
In the footage, you can see Rodriguez becoming trapped in the door and being thrown to the ground.
A resident watching exclaimed in shock as the driver backed into Rodriguez.
Authorities mentioned that both Rodriguez and Lopez suffered bruises, cuts, and swelling while their attackers fled the scene.
Rodriguez expressed her disbelief over the unprompted nature of the incident. “We’re just walking,” she said.
She reflected on the situation, sharing her feelings of confusion and trauma. “It’s just sad, honestly. I’m confused, I’m distraught, I’m just traumatized at this point honestly.”
Rodriguez also wondered if the attack could be seen as a “hate crime.”
“Is it a hate crime, is it something personal, or is it simply you have nothing to do?” she contemplated.
Lopez later posted on Facebook, urging that “hopefully they are able to catch these females for causing us distress and emotional/physical damage.”
He added, “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.”
