‘I tried to kill him:’ Man chops victim’s hand off with machete in Miami Gardens, police say

Tyrone Rhyant (Miami-Dade Corrections.)

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – A man was arrested Monday after police say he chopped another person’s hand off with a machete in Miami Gardens.

According to an arrest report from the Miami Gardens Police Department, Tyrone Arthur Rhyant, 54, of Opa-locka, is facing one count each of attempted murder causing injury and domestic violence/violation of injunction.

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While conducting a routine patrol just before 4 a.m. near the intersection of Northwest 207th Street and Northwest 37th Avenue, police said they noticed two sandals in the road and observed a man pacing on the sidewalk, which they say created suspicion of a potential incident.

A witness told police they saw Rhyant running southbound on Northwest 37th Avenue completely naked. An anonymous driver traveling in the same direction corroborated the witness’s statement.

Police would later respond to reports of an injured male near the 3700 block of Northwest 207th Street where they found the victim severely bleeding from his head and with a severed hand. Investigators said a bloodied machete was found near the crime scene.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue personnel responded to the scene and provided medical aid to the victim before transporting him to HCA Florida Aventura Hospital.

Officers said they found a person matching the victim’s description of the suspect lying on a nearby sofa.

After apprehending the suspect, police said Rhyant confessed to a responding officer by telling him, “Is he dead? I tried to kill him.”

Police transported the witness to the location where they say Rhyant was detained for identification. Authorities said the witness positively identified Rhyant as the individual involved in the attack.

While speaking to detectives, Rhyant stated that his wife, who was residing near the location of the incident, held an active, non-expiring protection order against him with an effective date of Dec. 24, 2023.

A motive for the attack remains unknown at this time.

As of Tuesday, Rhyant was being held without bond at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.


About the Author
Ryan Mackey headshot

Ryan Mackey is a Digital Journalist at WPLG. He was born in Long Island, New York, and has lived in Sunrise, Florida since 1994.

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