A transgender woman and her partner were pepper-sprayed and physically attacked by a group of women in northwest Miami-Dade, Florida, while the couple was walking to work Sunday night.
Felyz Rodriguez and her partner, Davin Lopez, said the confrontation began when women inside a passing vehicle yelled at them while they were walking along the road.
According to Lopez, the women told the couple to get out of the street and called them “idiots.” Lopez responded with a hand gesture, and the vehicle initially continued down the road.
The driver then turned around and came back.
Lopez said one of the women got out of the vehicle and pepper-sprayed him. The confrontation quickly became physical, with Rodriguez saying another woman grabbed her by the hair.
Cellphone video from the incident shows part of the altercation, including Rodriguez being pulled by her hair.
Rodriguez said she attempted not to fight back during the confrontation.
“I didn’t want to fight,” she said, explaining that she was trying to keep the situation from escalating further.
Rodriguez also said the driver backed up the vehicle during the encounter, causing her to fall to the ground.
The attackers left the area before law enforcement arrived.
Police Investigating the Attack
The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene and is investigating the incident through its General Investigations Unit.
Rodriguez and Lopez reportedly suffered bruising, cuts, and swelling as well as burning from the pepper spray.
Authorities have not publicly announced any arrests or identified the women allegedly involved in the attack.
Investigators also have not announced a motive for the confrontation or said whether Rodriguez being transgender played any role in what happened.
Rodriguez said she does not know why she and Lopez were attacked.
“I want to know why,” she said.
She questioned whether the confrontation was connected to her gender identity, something personal or something else entirely.
At this point, investigators have not publicly classified the incident as a hate crime, and no anti-transgender statements or slurs have been publicly attributed to the alleged attackers.
Rodriguez said the experience has left her traumatized.
Lopez also expressed frustration over how quickly what began as an exchange with people in a passing vehicle escalated into a physical confrontation.
The couple said they want to pursue charges against those responsible.
The investigation remains ongoing as authorities work to determine who was involved and what led to the attack.
