MIAMI, FL – A 40-year-old man is facing a felony battery charge after police say he punched a woman in the face as she walked alone along a Little Havana street Thursday afternoon. The victim suffered multiple facial injuries, including a fractured nose, after what investigators describe as an unprovoked attack.
According to an arrest report, Tavaris Greene allegedly struck the woman as the two passed each other on the sidewalk. Surveillance video later obtained by WSVN shows the moment Greene, dressed in a black hoodie, swings at the victim, knocking her to the ground before walking away.
Witnesses describe immediate aftermath
Business owners and bystanders rushed to assist the woman as she lay injured. Mónica Zapata, owner of Calle Ocho Sports Bar, said the victim’s injuries were severe and visible.
“She [was] bleeding profusely from literally the skin of her face, by her nose, and her nose, she’s dripping blood,” Zapata said. “Just leaves her there.”
Zapata said several businesses collaborated with police by sharing surveillance footage to help identify the suspect. “[A]pparently this gentleman is new to the area, and he’s been seen walking back and forth, up and down the street, talking to himself,” she told WSVN.
Police locate suspect within hours
Officers located Greene within hours of the incident after one officer recognized him from a prior encounter. He was taken to the Miami Police Department’s Violent Crimes Unit for questioning.
According to police, Greene made unsolicited statements during the interview process. He “spontaneously” said he was “having a bad day because he punched someone,” investigators reported. Later, he allegedly told a detective he had “smoked synthetic weed” earlier that day.
During a court appearance Friday, Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Mindy Glazer detailed the victim’s injuries, stating she suffered “a fractured nose, lacerations to her left cheek, and will need sutures.”
Greene is being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a $150,000 bond. He was scheduled to appear in court again Monday.
