Do we file this one under “only in Key West,” “truth is stranger than fiction,” or both?
I think both. But first, a warning: You’ll be left with an unanswered question at the end of this tale. We’re trying to get that answer for you. You’ll see what we mean. Just read on.
Key West Police were called to the corner of Emma and Olivia streets around 5:20 p.m. on Wednesday, July 9 and met with two women who had been sprayed with what turned out to be bear spray while they were sitting in a car.
Here’s what happened, according to the police report:
Perla Vidaure DeMiller and Sherly Colemen told police they were on their way to pick up DeMiller’s child from daycare when a black car blocked the road on Petronia Street. DeMiller reportedly honked to try to get around the black car, and then passed it. While continuing to her destination, she noticed the black car following her.
Near the intersection of Emma and Olivia streets, DeMiller told the police the black vehicle pulled quickly in front of her car. The female driver from the black sedan reportedly got out of her car and forced DeMiller’s car door open. A struggle ensued as DeMiller reportedly tried to keep her door shut, but was unable to do so.
DeMiller told police the woman then pulled something out and sprayed her with something while they were fighting over the car door. Both DeMiller and Colemen, who was in the passenger seat, were affected by the spray, and the women were unable to see which direction the vehicle had left.
At the scene, Officer Jesse Torrecillas spoke with a witness, who said she had seen a woman jump out of a black sedan, approach DeMiller’s car, and spray her with an unknown substance, then leave the scene southbound on Emma Street.
While police were looking for the “beat up black sedan,” its driver, Cynthia Diaz Sosa, showed up at the Key West Police station on North Roosevelt Boulevard. Sosa told Officer Jeremiah Osborne that she had been stopped in traffic on Petronia Street, “waiting to let a chicken cross the road, when DeMiller began honking at her, and then passed her, running over the chicken,” the report states.
Sosa told police she followed DeMiller’s car “because she was angry that DeMiller (allegedly) had killed a chicken. Sosa said she “wanted to teach (DeMiller) a lesson, so she pulled out her bear mace and sprayed it into the vehicle, spraying DeMiller directly in the face while she was seated inside. Sosa later got back into her car and drove off, the police report states.
Upon telling her side of the story, Cynthia Diaz Sosa, 38, of Caroline Street, was arrested and charged with two felony counts of aggravated battery for allegedly spraying both victims, and one felony count of burglary.
The final unanswered question? Did a Key West chicken actually get killed while crossing the road? Stay tuned. The Keys Weekly has reached out to the police for that answer.
