MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - A woman and her mother said they were attacked and left bruised while walking past a Miami Beach bus stop.
The victims said the attack happened at the bus stop on Collins Avenue near 24th Street, Saturday.
Daniella Bonilla said she and her 59-year-old mother were on their way home when they passed by a man sitting on the bus bench.
Shortly after, Bonilla said the man started hurling insults at them.
“All of us [expletive] need to learn how to speak English,” she said he told them. “He starts making comments about my appearance, my body. He calls my mother and I ‘disgusting lesbians.’ He said things that we should do to his body.”
This woman says she & her mother were battered & called racial, homophobic slurs as they walked on Collins Ave Saturday. She says a man punched her breast, leaving a large bruise, then hit & threw a rock at her mother. He got away, and police are investigating. @wsvn #Exclusive pic.twitter.com/TjISOWYX9W
— Sheldon Fox-7 News (@fox_sheldon) June 4, 2019
Bonilla said she did not back down and called the man out for his actions.
However, when she did, that’s when, Bonilla said, the man spit at her.
“He punched me on my chest, and then, as soon as that happened, he went and hit my mother,” she said. “My doctor told me I have a pretty big breast hematoma.”
Despite the pain, Bonilla said she fought back because the man came after her mother, struck her in the arm and threw and hit her with a rock.
“I just knew that I had to do what I could to protect my mother,” she said.
Bonilla said she spilled her coffee on the attacker and threatened to call police.
The commotion inspired others to come to her aid, and the attacker — who Bonilla said was muscular and menacing — ran off, got into a taxi and has not been seen since.
Miami Beach Police soon arrived and Bonilla filed a police report.
She said she is trying to find a video of the incident.
Whether Bonilla finds the video or not, she wants her attacker to know that police are looking for him.
“It’s not gonna be accepted or tolerated, so just know that we are looking for you,” she said.
If you have any information on this battery, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a $1,000 reward.
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