An irate ‘Karen’ filmed screaming at kids riding e-bikes down a Florida roadway calmly vowed ‘the truth will prevail’ as she was released from jail.
Silvia Perez, 61, drove her Bentley up to a group of kids on e-bikes in a Pinecrest neighborhood last month, aggressively berating them and allegedly snatching a phone from one before slamming it onto the pavement, according to CBS News.
The streetside showdown, caught on a video that has since gone viral, ended Tuesday when Perez voluntarily surrendered to authorities.
Although a judge freed Perez, her attitude outside the jailhouse was strikingly different from the fiery behavior captured in the video.
When reporters pressed her for answers, she replied curtly, ‘Nothing to say, sorry. The truth will prevail.’
The confrontation erupted on October 18 when Perez, behind the wheel of her ritzy black Bentley sedan, spotted a group of kids cycling in the street.
She jumped out of her car and began shouting at the group to clear the roadway, which they did, according to an arrest report obtained by WSVN News.
However, detectives said that despite the kids obeying her commands, Perez only continued her aggressive behavior.
Silvia Perez (pictured), 61, of Florida, drove her Bentley up to a group of kids on e-bikes in a Pinecrest neighborhood last month, aggressively berating them to get out of the road and allegedly snatching a phone from one before slamming it onto the pavement
Perez (pictured), charged with battery and robbery, turned herself in to authorities on Tuesday with a court order requiring her to stay away from children. She was released on her own recognizance shortly after
When reporters pressed Perez (pictured) for answers as she was released from jail, she replied curtly, ‘Nothing to say, sorry. The truth will prevail’
‘Rather than leaving the area, defendant Perez repositioned her vehicle, parking it perpendicular to the bike path, approximately 25 feet from the juveniles,’ police alleged in court documents.
‘She then exited again and approached the group in a confrontational manner.’
As one child filmed the heated argument on their phone, another could be heard directing attention to the bike path just a few feet away.
Perez immediately fired back: ‘It’s not a bike path,’ she said. ‘It’s a f***ing big street and you know it.’
She advanced toward the kids with a finger raised at the child filming before yet again shouting that they were in the street.
When the child lifted the phone to film Perez’s enraged face, she grabbed it from their hands, sending it plummeting onto the hard ground.
‘You want me to? Do you want me to throw the phone?’ Perez threatened the group.
According to the arrest report, Perez then ‘grabbed the damaged phone, raised it over her head and threatened to throw it into a nearby canal before discarding it onto the ground.’
During the confrontation, when one child lifted the phone to film Perez’s (pictured) enraged face, she grabbed it from their hands, sending it plummeting onto the hard ground before threatening to throw it in the canal
During Tuesday’s bond hearing, her attorney claimed Perez’s (pictured) over-the-top reaction stemmed from the kids posing a safety risk in the neighborhood, rather than coming out of nowhere
The commotion not only blocked traffic but attracted other adults who approached to protect the kids from Perez’s outburst.
‘Hey, that’s a kid! What are you doing!’ one adult demanded in the distance.
While climbing back into her car, a child shouted, ‘You don’t try to hit a kid,’ moments before Perez finally pulled away from the area.
‘Defendant Perez continued yelling and antagonizing the juveniles before engaging in a verbal altercation with bystanders who attempted to intervene,’ police wrote in the arrest report obtained by NBC Miami News.
Several weeks later, Perez, charged with battery and robbery, turned herself in to authorities.
During Tuesday’s bond hearing, her attorney claimed her over-the-top reaction stemmed from the kids posing a safety risk in the neighborhood.
‘She’s observing juveniles on motorbikes, electric bikes, popping wheelies, being disruptive on the highway,’ her attorney argued, according to CBS News.
However, Perez’s attorney insisted that the video presented in court only showed part of the story, and that the full context was missing.
Perez’s (pictured) attorney insisted that the video presented in court only showed part of the story, and that the full context was missing
Judge Mindy Glazer (pictured) also weighed in, agreeing with Perez’s lawyer that there was more to the story. She noted that she could ‘barely’ find probable cause
As Perez (pictured) left the jailhouse doors, calm and composed, reporters pressed her for a message to the parents of the children involved, to which she simply replied: ‘No, I won’t say anything. I can’t’
‘The video is out on social media. She’s observing juveniles on motor and electric bikes popping wheelies, being disruptive on the highway,’ he said.
Judge Mindy Glazer also weighed in, agreeing with Perez’s lawyer that there was more to the story than what was seen in the video.
Judge Glazer noted she could ‘barely’ find probable cause, releasing Perez on her own recognizance – a ruling the prosecutor subsequently challenged.
‘I don’t know about barely, it’s on video and she grabbed a child’s phone,’ he argued.
The judge responded sharply: ‘There’s more to the story, you’ve never driven down a street with these folks doing wheelies and going in and out of cars?’
Perez was released on bond shortly afterward, with a court order requiring her to stay away from children.
As she left the jailhouse doors, calm and composed, reporters pressed her for a message to the parents of the children involved.
‘No, I won’t say anything,’ Perez replied. ‘I can’t.’
