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Woman Allegedly Stabbed with Scissors Inside Miami Restaurant After Money Dispute; Suspect Arrested

On Nov. 26, a dispute between two panhandlers outside a Miami restaurant escalated inside when 22-year-old Damaris Rodriguez allegedly stabbed another woman after being refused money. The victim was treated at Jackson Ryder Trauma Center for a laceration to her right shoulder blade. Rodriguez was arrested and charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon; police recovered scissors in a blood-stained bag and say she acknowledged the attack in a sworn statement.

01:58 AM, 12/02/2025Society
Woman Allegedly Stabbed with Scissors Inside Miami Restaurant After Money Dispute; Suspect Arrested

Two women who had been panhandling outside a Miami restaurant on Nov. 26 moved their dispute inside the business, where one allegedly stabbed the other with a pair of scissors after being refused money, authorities say.

The arrest affidavit identifies the suspect as 22-year-old Damaris Rodriguez. According to investigators, the argument began on the sidewalk outside Fritanga Pinolandia and continued into the restaurant, where Rodriguez is accused of repeatedly striking and stabbing the other woman in the shoulder and back with scissors.

Deputy Charles Castillo reportedly saw Rodriguez running from the scene and detained her nearby. Officers say Rodriguez made a spontaneous statement claiming, "It was self-defense, she was abusing me." In a later Mirandized, sworn statement, Rodriguez allegedly acknowledged producing scissors from a brown pillow and said she "took multiple stabs" at the other woman's head before fleeing and discarding a pillowcase and bag.

Police recovered Rodriguez's belongings and found the scissors inside a blood-stained brown leather bag, the affidavit states. The victim was taken to Jackson Ryder Trauma Center, treated for a laceration to her right shoulder blade and received a stitch. Rodriguez was arrested on a charge of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and transported to Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center for booking.

Surveillance footage that circulated online shows a tense stand-off inside the restaurant. The affidavit describes the suspect aggressively approaching the victim while holding a cutting instrument and making repeated downward motions; the video also captures reported verbal threats directed at the victim.

Restaurant manager Bernardo Ruiz said the attack is not an isolated incident and criticized what he described as a growing homelessness problem in the area that is affecting local businesses. The restaurant is temporarily closed, and investigators continue their work on the case.

Key facts: incident date Nov. 26; suspect Damaris Rodriguez, 22; charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon; arrest occurred 13 days after Rodriguez was released on her own recognizance following an October cocaine-possession arrest; victim treated for a laceration to the right shoulder blade.

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