A nurse was arrested on Tuesday following an outbreak of violence at a Miami-Dade assisted living facility. Blanca Belinda Rivera-Lopez, 29, faces multiple charges, including battery, grand theft, and resisting an officer without violence, after a supposed altercation with a coworker.
The episode, which played out at the Norita Adult Family Care located at 11971 SW 118 St., in The Crossings area of Miami-Dade County, began as an argument before escalating to physical violence. Rivera-Lopez is accused of hitting her coworker on the head with a shoe, assaulting the individual, and seizing their cellphone, which was later recovered by deputies, "resisting an officer without violence,” and "two counts of assault on a first responder," Local 10 reported. Deputies encountered Rivera-Lopez, in nurse scrubs, expressing high agitation and incoherence.
Upon arriving at the scene, the officers attempted to detain her but faced resistance, as Rivera-Lopez took a fighting stance and swung at the officers. According to a statement obtained by NBC Miami, her combative behavior prompted the use of a Taser, sending her to the ground before she was restrained. "Rivera-Lopez took a fighting stance and told deputy to fight her, then started swinging her fists at the deputy trying to hit him in the face," the report added.
The motive behind the attack has yet to be determined, authorities mentioned. The rampage not only included harm to a person but also property destruction, with Rivera-Lopez demolishing two televisions and a photo frame, as detailed by NBC Miami. Jail records indicate that Rivera-Lopez was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center; her bond was listed at "$6,500." according to statements clarified by both news outlets.
Further details regarding the incident and its aftermath, including information on the wellbeing of the coworker involved and the conditions at Norita Adult Family Care post-incident, have not been made publicly available. The arrested nurse has yet to release any statement or explanation for the alleged behaviors on that Tuesday morning.
