Chaos erupted near a Miami elementary school when two children on their way home were viciously attacked by two adults. The assault unfolded around 5 p.m. on Thursday, just a block away from Jesse J. McCrary Jr. Elementary, leaving the young students, aged 9 and 11, with minor injuries. The pair accused of the attack, 36-year-old Shantasia Miller and 18-year-old Randy Washington, are now facing serious charges, as reported by NBC6.
Miller allegedly initiated the violent encounter by punching and kicking the children, one of whom had a previous school-related skirmish with Miller's daughter. The confrontation turned uglier, witnesses say, when Washington drove up and contributed to the beating, snatching $24 from one of the brothers in the process. In a cruel act of aggression, Miller is accused of tearing a dreadlock from 11-year-old Romel's head. The harrowing experience led the young victims to speak out. "The 18-year-old hold my hands up and let the woman kick me in stomach," Romel detailed in an interview granted with parental permission to NBC6.
In a twist to the narrative, both Miller, and Washington have sought to defend their actions. Miller declared in bond court she was not the initial aggressor and claimed "They was the ones that came to my house," according to Local10. Meanwhile, Washington has denied the robbery allegations, asserting he saw the victims throw rocks at his vehicle, sparking the dismal encounter. Irrespective of their claims, the police reports and the victims' testimonies tell a story of unprovoked and unjustified violence.
Both suspects, now held at Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, face counts of child abuse with no great bodily harm and battery. Additionally, Washington is charged with strong-armed robbery, an allegation that further complicates his legal predicament. As they await further legal proceedings, the court has placed stringent measures, ordering Miller to house arrest and mandating that both stay away from the victims and the school. Reflecting on the incident, the victims' stepmother, Davonda Taylor, conveyed her distress to the court, "She bust my son’s nose. That’s not right. You don’t bust my son’s nose," she said, in statements shared by NBC6.
