A Miami woman is behind bars after police say a mail delivery in Little Havana spiraled from a shouted slur and a soaking with a garden hose into a pair of attempted vehicle strikes on a United States Postal Service carrier Tuesday afternoon. Officers say surveillance video and several witnesses backed up the carrier’s account of what happened.
What police say
According to Local 10, the confrontation unfolded around 4:25 p.m. on the 1000 block of Northwest 18th Place when a child walked up to the postal carrier to collect mail. Arrest paperwork identifies the suspect as 34-year-old Lourdes Maria Portugues and states that she shouted a racial slur at the child before grabbing a hose and spraying the carrier with water, which led the worker to call 911.
Investigators say Portugues then climbed into a silver Lincoln Nautilus and twice drove toward the carrier in an apparent attempt to strike her. Police reported that the vehicle did not hit the worker but that the actions were aggressive enough for prosecutors to pursue two felony counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon with prejudice. Portugues is in custody with bond listed as "to be set" in the arrest documents.
Alleged threats and evidence
The arrest report cited by reporters states that after the encounter in the street, Portugues parked in front of her home and yelled, "I'm going to shoot you, I have a gun inside my house," before going inside. Witnesses later repeated that statement to officers.
A witness identified in the paperwork as the suspect's minor child told police that Portugues began loading bullets into a gun in her bedroom. Responding officers say they recovered a pellet gun and rounds inside that room. Police told reporters that surveillance footage and multiple witness statements matched the postal carrier’s version of events, according to Local 10.
Custody details
Miami-Dade records list the county's booking and release center as the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center at 7000 Northwest 41st Street in Miami. That is where Portugues is being held while prosecutors review the arrest packet and decide how to proceed as the case moves through the court system. As of the latest public records, police noted that bond was "to be set." Miami-Dade Corrections & Rehabilitation Department
Broader context
The clash comes amid sustained concern from lawmakers and postal unions about rising attacks on letter carriers across the country. Federal proposals such as the Postal Police Reform Act have been introduced to give postal police broader authority to protect carriers while they are away from postal property on their routes.
In a 2023 news release, senators sponsoring that measure cited sharp increases in robberies and assaults on letter carriers and called for stronger protections for workers delivering mail in neighborhoods nationwide. Durbin's office
Miami police say the investigation into Tuesday's incident remains active. The Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office will decide what formal charges are filed and whether additional counts will be added. This story will be updated as new court records and official statements are released.
