A rush-hour flare-up in a southwest Miami-Dade grocery store parking lot ended with a 64-year-old man in handcuffs on Wednesday, after deputies say he swung a metal-framed umbrella at another driver and accidentally struck his own car instead.
Investigators identified the suspect as 64-year-old Frank Domenech-Fernandez, who is facing a felony aggravated assault charge in connection with the confrontation outside a Publix in the Country Walk area.
According to WPLG Local 10, the dispute began along Southwest 157th Avenue, then spilled into the parking lot of the Publix at 15771 SW 152nd St near Miami Executive Airport. The station reports that an arrest report it reviewed states the victim followed Domenech-Fernandez into the lot, where the suspect got out and approached the other vehicle holding what the victim initially thought was a large stick.
Deputies say the driver managed to move his vehicle in time to avoid being hit, and the umbrella instead struck Domenech-Fernandez's own car, according to the report.
What deputies say
An arrest form quoted by WPLG Local 10 states the victim saw the suspect "holding what he believed to be a large stick in his hand" just before the swing.
The object was later identified as an umbrella with a steel-aluminum frame. Deputies say the item hit the suspect's own vehicle after the victim moved out of the way, and that witness statements and surveillance video backed up that account.
As of Thursday morning, booking records showed Domenech-Fernandez was being held at Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a $5,000 bond, according to the station.
Legal implications
Under Florida law, aggravated assault is defined as an assault carried out "with a deadly weapon" or with intent to commit a felony and is treated as a third-degree felony. The Florida Senate codifies that statute, and legal guides note that a third-degree felony can bring penalties under Florida's sentencing rules, including potential prison time and fines.
Where the suspect is now
County corrections information lists Turner Guilford Knight as Miami-Dade's intake and release facility for people who are newly arrested, and provides contact and facility details on the county corrections site.
Publix lists the store where the incident occurred at 15771 SW 152nd St. Prosecutors still need to file formal charges in court, and the case is expected to move through the county system in the coming days.
