MIAMI, FL – A bizarre turn of events led to the arrest of a Miami woman on Monday. Following an incident involving her son and several other juveniles, Quantavia Miltanise Samuel, 33, is facing charges of aggravated battery and assault with a deadly weapon.
The incident unfolded around 6 p.m. in the vicinity of Northwest 5th Avenue and 77th Street. Samuel’s son had called her, claiming he was under attack by a group of other young people, one of whom was allegedly armed with a handgun.
In a misguided attempt to protect her son, Samuel drove her Toyota Rav4 into the group of juveniles, inadvertently hitting her own son in the process, according to the police report. She then helped her injured son into the SUV and pursued the fleeing juveniles to their home.
Police were summoned to the location where Samuel’s son began to experience leg and hip pain. He was subsequently taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s pediatric emergency room for medical attention.
Samuel confessed to the police that she had intended to hit the juveniles with her vehicle to defend her son. In an arrest report, the defendant claimed she struck her son with the Toyota Rav4 SUV she was operating when she arrived at the intersection. Upon being asked how she managed to hit her son with the vehicle, the defendant replied, “I was trying to get them off my son.'”
Samuel was taken into custody, and her bail was set at $15,000. No information was available about her legal counsel. Despite initial reports of a firearm, Miami Police spokesman Michael Vega confirmed that no gun was found at the scene.
Vega stressed the importance of contacting law enforcement in such situations rather than taking matters into one’s own hands. He also mentioned that the Department of Children and Families was notified to conduct its own investigation.