MIAMI – A Miami woman has been arrested and faces a charge of attempted murder in connection with a violent kidnapping and assault that ended with the shooting of a victim on the Julia Tuttle Causeway last month, police confirmed Wednesday.
The incident unfolded in the early hours of Sept. 10 when 33-year-old Mercedes Latifah Green and a group of individuals, whose names were redacted in an arrest report, arrived at a Miami Gardens home in a gray Ford F-150, according to authorities.
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Miami police said at approximately 1:40 a.m., Green, along with multiple accomplices, approached the home, asking for the victim by name.
A witness who answered the door informed the victim of their presence, prompting her to meet with the group, the report stated.
Authorities said Green confronted the victim about money, drugs and a stolen gun, but the victim denied any involvement and closed the door on them, according to police.
After the victim answered the door for a second time, the group forced their way inside, authorities said.
When the victim continued to deny the accusation, police said the confrontation turned violent.
Authorities said a man who was armed struck the victim multiple times in the face with both a gun and his fists. He then handed the gun to another culprit, who also beat the victim with it, according to the report.
According to police, a witness said Green joined in the attack, striking the victim over the head with a liquor bottle. During the assault, a third culprit brandished a gun, preventing anyone from intervening, according to investigators.
Police said the victim was then dragged out of the home by her hair and forced into the back of the truck.
In a desperate attempt to escape further harm, authorities said the victim directed her captors to her father’s home, falsely claiming that the stolen gun was there.
Shortly after, at around 2 a.m., police said the victim’s father was awakened by a knock at his door, where an unknown woman asked for “Joe” and inquired about the gun.
He denied any knowledge of the weapon, and the group left, according to the report.
The group continued to drive around with the victim until approximately 3:08 a.m. when they stopped on the side of the Julia Tuttle Causeway, according to investigators.
Police said the male culprits dragged the victim from the vehicle and one of them shot her three times in the torso before fleeing in the pickup truck.
Police said license plate readers captured the truck, which was registered to one of Green’s accomplices, leaving the area shortly after 3:09 a.m.
Despite her life-threatening injuries, police said the victim managed to walk along the causeway, searching for help.
At around 3:45 a.m., a passerby spotted her and called Miami Beach police. Officers arrived to find the victim with severe injuries to her face and suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, investigators confirmed.
Police said she was immediately transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center, where she was intubated due to the extent of her injuries.
Although the victim was unable to provide a statement at the time due to her condition, authorities said evidence began to mount.
Investigators said they discovered blood splattered across the ceiling, walls and furniture of the Miami Gardens home, despite the witness’s attempts to clean up after the assault. The witness confirmed the blood belonged to the victim, according to police.
On Sept. 13, police said the victim regained consciousness and was able to provide a statement to detectives from her hospital bed.
She confirmed that she knew all of the culprits, except for Green.
Investigators said they also gathered evidence from surveillance cameras in the area, which they said captured the truck of one of Green’s accomplices at 1:38 a.m., turning onto Northeast 68th Street.
On Sept. 24, police said they administered a sequential photo array to the victim. The victim confirmed that Green had struck her with a liquor bottle during the assault and was present during the kidnapping and subsequent shooting.
Investigators said Miami-Dade’s Felony Apprehension Team located Green and took her into custody on Tuesday.
Detectives said Green waived her Miranda rights and denied being present during the shooting.
Police said the case remains under investigation, with multiple suspects still at large.
Jail records show Green is facing one count each of attempted felony murder, robbery or home invasion with a firearm and kidnapping with a weapon or firearm.
As of Wednesday, she was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where her bond had not yet been determined.
Authorities are urging anyone with information related to the case to come forward by calling Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.