MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – An early Monday morning on the MacArthur Causeway took a chaotic turn when a car crash escalated into the arrest of a 26-year-old woman from Miami.
The swift actions of the woman’s friend/ passenger helped defuse the situation that occurred around 5:30 a.m. on the eastbound lanes of the causeway near Biscayne Boulevard.
The friend, Rashad Gaitor, shared his perspective with Local 10 News Tuesday, revealing that the incident could have been avoided entirely. He also recounted the moments leading up to the altercation.
“I’m going to say she was having an episode — she was all over the place,” he said.
Acklynn Byamugisha, a 26-year-old with two master’s degrees in healthcare from the University of Miami, was dealing with the aftermath of her car being rear-ended by a man who police identified as Freddy Diaz.
Police said after hours passed as she waited for state troopers to arrive, she grew increasingly frustrated.
The situation took a turn when police said Diaz’s father arrived at the scene.
Byamugisha claimed Diaz’s father verbally threatened her and attacked her by pulling her hair, police said.
As tensions flared, Byamugisha, clearly distressed, began wielding a screwdriver and a bottle of Windex, aiming her frustration at Diaz’s father.
Video footage from Sky 10 showed Diaz protecting his father from what appeared to be Byamugisha attempting to stab him with the screwdriver.
According to Rashad, the confrontation was triggered by a racial slur uttered by Diaz’s father, who was unaware that Byamugisha spoke Spanish.
Gaitor said he stepped in to calm the situation and continued to maintain Byamugisha’s innocence.
“She definitely didn’t want to hurt anyone,” he said. “She’s not a violent person.”
Moments later, authorities said Byamugisha entered Diaz’s father’s vehicle, grabbed a screwdriver along with a bottle of Windex, and sprayed it in the faces of Diaz and his father.
Police said Byamugisha charged at Diaz and his father with the screwdriver, causing the victim to fall.
Surveillance video obtained by Local 10 News showed Byamugisha on top of the victim with her hand over his neck before being pulled off by Rashad
Byamugisha’s former co-workers told Local 10 News they could hardly believe she was involved in the incident.
Her schooling and career have been spent in healthcare and public service, initially with the State Health Department where she worked in AIDS and HIV prevention, and most recently with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on an IT project in Atlanta.
According to Byamugisha’s arrest report, she is facing two counts each of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.
Byamugisha remained in jail Tuesday after Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Mindy Glazer set her total bond at $7,000.
Glazer also ordered Byamugisha to stay away from Diaz and offered a piece of advice before ending the hearing.
“In the future, if you’re driving and you’re ever involved in a car accident, it’s probably best to just call police and remain in your vehicle so you avoid having to come to criminal court,” Glazer said.
Jail records show Byamugisha has not posted bond and remains at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center as of Tuesday evening.