A woman was on the trunk of a car outside a South Florida McDonald’s when the vehicle suddenly accelerated.
Seconds later, surveillance video shows her tumbling onto the pavement as the car continues out of the parking lot. Passing motorists then stop and get out to check on her.
The woman, identified as 37-year-old Nikkita Wongchong, was rushed to a hospital in critical condition. Local 10 reported that doctors later determined she was brain-dead.
Deputies arrested 28-year-old Ismel Baro-Rodriguez later that day. He is charged with aggravated battery causing great bodily harm.
Off The Back
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The incident happened around 8:40 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, outside a McDonald’s at 26601 S. Dixie Highway in Naranja, an unincorporated area of Miami-Dade County.
Local 10’s account of the arrest report says Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived after receiving a call about a woman who had fallen from a moving vehicle. A deputy found Wongchong lying face-down on the pavement.
Deputies performed CPR until paramedics arrived, according to Local 10. Wongchong was taken to Jackson South Medical Center.
Surveillance footage reviewed by deputies showed Baro-Rodriguez and Wongchong arriving at the location together, the arrest report said. Moments later, Wongchong was seen on the trunk.
The vehicle then accelerated at what the report described as a high rate of speed. Wongchong fell from the trunk and struck her head on the concrete.
The car left the area.
A Short Search
The surveillance footage gave deputies another piece of the sequence to work with: the vehicle itself.
Local 10 reported that deputies tracked Baro-Rodriguez to a home not far from the McDonald’s. The earlier account of the arrest report said his vehicle was located at his residence before he was detained.
Baro-Rodriguez was taken to the sheriff’s South District station. After deputies read him his Miranda rights, the arrest report states that he gave what deputies characterized as a “full confession.”
The available reporting does not detail that statement or establish what happened between Baro-Rodriguez and Wongchong immediately before she was seen on the trunk.
The Charge
Baro-Rodriguez was booked on one count of aggravated battery causing great bodily harm.
Under Florida’s aggravated battery statute, a person commits aggravated battery when, while committing a battery, the person intentionally or knowingly causes great bodily harm, permanent disability, or permanent disfigurement, or uses a deadly weapon. The offense is generally classified as a second-degree felony.
That statute describes the offense generally. The publicly available reporting reviewed by GH does not identify a particular subsection in Baro-Rodriguez’s charge.
NBC Miami reported that jail records showed Baro-Rodriguez remained in custody Tuesday and was also being held on an immigration hold.
The aggravated battery charge is an allegation. Baro-Rodriguez is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.