MIAMI – Viral surveillance video shows a woman crashing into a car in Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood and then beating a man up, but it’s not a case of road rage.
The man on the receiving end of the beatdown was a suspected purse-snatcher.
Now, the victim, Miurell Vargas, is sharing why she took such a risk to get her belongings back on March 29.
Vargas was working at a sushi restaurant when she said someone noticed a man breaking into cars, including hers.
“I went back to check on my car and, indeed, my window was broken. And my wallet wasn’t there. Neither (was) my purse,” Vargas said. “So I got in my car and I drove around to see if I could find him. And I found him over here actually in that corner over there.”
Surveillance video shows Vargas in a black vehicle, making a sharp left turn while following the suspect and crashing into another vehicle.
She then exits the car and gets into a scuffle with the man, who she said had a Nike drawstring backpack that was stolen from her vehicle.
She said she also spotted her wallet with him.
“He was yelling it wasn’t my bag and that I was crazy,” Vargas said.
Once she retrieved all her belongings, Vargas is seen walking toward the woman driving the red car she crashed into.
Police said they quickly arrived because an officer happened to be patrolling the area. They took the suspect, Luis Machado, 41, into custody not far from the scene.
Miami police said they don’t recommend victims take matters into their own hands.
“I had so much adrenaline in me that I didn’t think about the consequences,” Vargas said. “But later on I did.”
Vargas, however, said she had a special reason for doing so.
“My mom’s picture was in my wallet, she passed away eight years ago,” Vargas said, saying the photo has “sentimental value.”
“That’s why I did it,” she said.
Vargas said police did cite her for causing the wreck, but no one was seriously hurt.