MIAMI – Witnesses reported a woman couldn’t breathe when Christian Hernandez-Diaz grabbed her by the neck, raised her off the floor, and pushed her against a wall, police said.
According to a police report, Maria Pavan had already struck the woman as the two fought in a common area and hallway of the Lotus House, a women’s homeless shelter in Miami.
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Police officers responded on Wednesday afternoon after witnesses intervened at the shelter near Northwest Second Avenue and 15 Street in the Overtown neighborhood.
The victim “had bruising around the chest, neck, and a scratch on the right side of her face,” a police officer wrote in the arrest reports.
Correctional deputies booked Hernandez-Diaz, 45, and Pavan, 56, on Wednesday. Pavan faced a battery charge and had a $1,000 bond. Hernandez-Diaz faced a battery by strangulation charge and had a $2,500 bond.
Pavan was at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center Friday night with a hold by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Hernandez-Diaz, who was born in Honduras, appeared in court on Friday and was at the Metrowest Detention Center.
Court records show Miami-Dade County Circuit Judge Christopher Benjamin was set to preside over Pavan’s case and County Circuit Judge Milton Hirsch was set to preside over Hernandez-Diaz’s case.