DORAL, FLA. (WSVN) - Police are searching for a man who reportedly assaulted and robbed a teen while on her way to work in Doral.
The incident occurred in the area of 106th Avenue and Northwest 78th Street, near a parking garage on Jan. 11.
The 17-year-old victim, Valeria Martinez, said the man stopped her while she was walking to work and demanded that she give him money.
“I started to cry and scream,” she said.
The teen told police the man then attacked her after she said she didn’t have any cash.
“So that’s when he told me to give him my phone, and I had my phone in my pocket, so then he grabbed me and threw me on the floor and grabbed my phone and ran away,” Martinez said.
Video showed the man running away from the scene after he slammed the teen to the ground and stole her phone.
The teen could then be seen in the video chasing after the man.
“I don’t know. My instincts told me to run after him even though they tell you not to run after the person who is trying to hurt you, but I just did,” she said.
The 17-year-old said her attacker eventually got away, leaving her bruised, without a phone and fearing for her safety.
“I’m scared it might happen again even though it most likely won’t happen,” Martinez said.
If you have any information on this incident, 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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