Woman arrested for aggravated assault, DUI

A Key Largo woman was arrested Thursday night for driving drunk and for attempting to hit two people with her car.

Deputies responded to Hibiscus Park in Key Largo just before 10 p.m. A caller to Sheriff’s dispatchers said a woman was “trying to kill people with her vehicle.” The caller said the vehicle was an older beige colored sedan and it was “going over 100 miles per hour.”

Sgt. Scott Ward was first to arrive and he spotted the vehicle in question at the entrance to the Hibiscus Park neighborhood. Deputy Paul Rocha also arrived and turned on his emergency lights, stopping the car. The driver was identified as 56 year old Sonja Lopez. A Florida Highway Patrol Trooper also responded. After it was determined Lopez appeared to be impaired, the FHP trooper conducted a DUI investigation.

Deputies interviewed the two victims, a 39 year old woman and her 19 year old son. The woman was the one who called dispatch to make the report. She was visibly upset and told Sgt. Ward she and her son were walking down the side of the road and Lopez was driving up and down the road at a high rate of speed. She said Lopez was yelling and screaming from the car, and repeatedly used racial slurs as she was yelling. She said Lopez intentionally tried to hit her and her son twice with the car. She said they had to jump out of the way to avoid being hit.

Lopez was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol by the Florida Highway Patrol and with aggravated assault by the Sheriff’s Office. The Sheriff’s Office is discussing with the State Attorney’s Office the possibility of a potential enhancement of the aggravated assault charge due to the racial slurs used by Lopez.

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