A Florida woman was arrested following a dispute with a Lyft driver and his passengers in a McDonald’s parking lot, which resulted in her pulling a gun and accidentally shooting her own daughter, cops say
Melissa Valbrum, 32, threatened to “shoot and kill” three people who were trying to get into the rideshare after a misunderstanding, according to police, before firing and hitting her own child.
Valbrum now faces three charges following the Miami-Dade incident on Friday: aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, battery and culpable negligence inflicting personal injury. She appeared in court on Sunday.
According to Miami-Dade police, officers were called out to the McDonald’s in Pinewood following reports of “a dispute where a firearm accidentally discharged” by a woman. The bullet had struck the woman’s 15-year-old daughter in her left shoulder, according to a police affidavit seen by The Independent.
According to the arrest affidavit, the teenager and her mom were in the restaurant along with another group prior to the incident.
When a Lyft arrived, one member of a group waiting on the ride told police they were pointing outside to alert the group the Lyft had arrived. Valbrum’s daughter said a member of the group was pointing at Valbrum.
This led to an argument inside the restaurant that later continued outside. By that time, the three members of the group were inside the rideshare.
Valbrum then allegedly retrieved a gun from her vehicle and began threatening to “shoot and kill” all three of them while pointing the firearm in their direction, the affidavit stated. As the Lyft drove off, the passengers heard a gunshot and saw the teen had been shot.
The Lyft driver told police that Valbrum was acting “extremely aggressive” while pointing a gun at him and other members of the group. He also told police that he saw Valbrum reach inside his car and allegedly assault one of the passengers – also a minor.
Valbrum denied that she had pulled out the gun and threatened the passengers, later telling officers that the weapon had been on her waistband during the incident and it “accidentally fell,” causing it to go off and shoot her daughter.
The police affidavit also noted that police watched surveillance and phone video of the incident that showed Valbrum with a gun in her hand while knocking on the rear passenger window of the Lyft.
Valbrum was arrested and booked into Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
On Sunday, a judge ordered her to stay away from all of the victims and set her bond at $22,000, which she posted.
