A Sunrise, Florida family is reeling after a brutal attack on their 75-year-old matriarch was caught on video, an incident that has left them shaken and terrified just days after moving to the U.S. in search of safety.
The disturbing footage, taken last Tuesday, shows a man violently grabbing the elderly woman by her dress and striking her in the head with a frying pan, causing her to collapse onto the pavement.
“We Are Scared, To Be Honest”
Fiorella Lopez, the victim’s daughter, says the family had gathered to celebrate her mother’s birthday when the horror unfolded. They had recently relocated from Venezuela hoping for a better life, but that hope quickly turned to fear.
“We are so worried about it,” Lopez told NBC6.
“We are scared to be honest.”
According to Lopez, the family was outside their home when her sister spotted a suspicious individual nearby. Moments later, the man attacked their mother without warning.
Video Captures the Moment of Impact
The video, now making rounds on social media, shows the man grabbing the elderly woman by her clothing before viciously swinging a frying pan into her head, knocking her to the ground. The man then allegedly turned his aggression toward her son, who rushed to her aid.
Lopez said her brother came running to help but was quickly attacked as well.
Alleged Attacker Identified as Neighbor
Sunrise Police have since arrested the man seen in the video, identifying him as 26-year-old Carlos Hurtado Florez, a neighbor of the family.
According to the arrest affidavit, the incident didn’t start on the street. Authorities say Florez had already assaulted his own brother multiple times inside their residence earlier that day. He then allegedly exited the home and vandalized his brother’s car before attacking Lopez’s mother.
Florez now faces multiple charges, including aggravated battery on a person 65 years or older — a felony under Florida law that carries enhanced penalties due to the victim’s age.
A Family Left in Fear
The attack has left the Lopez family deeply shaken and questioning their sense of security in what was supposed to be a fresh start.
While the elderly victim is expected to recover, her children say the emotional scars may last much longer. Their message now is one of caution and disbelief, that such violence could come not from a stranger, but from a neighbor living just feet away.
