Police said a woman escaped after she was beaten and forced back into an SUV.
MIAMI SPRINGS, FL — A 31-year-old man was arrested after police said video showed him beating and kidnapping his girlfriend Thursday morning on Northwest South River Drive in Miami Springs.
The case drew attention after the Miami Springs Police Department released video Friday of what it described as a violent domestic kidnapping. Police identified the suspect as Andre Christian Lopez and said the woman was able to get away after a struggle. Lopez was later taken into custody in northwest Miami-Dade County.
Authorities said the attack happened just before 11 a.m. Thursday in the 3900 block of Northwest South River Drive, a corridor near commercial areas, hotels and routes that connect Miami Springs with other parts of Miami-Dade County. Police said the video shows Lopez stopping his SUV as his girlfriend tried to escape, then pulling her back inside. The woman later managed to break free again. Police said Lopez chased her, kicked her in the head, pushed her to the ground and hit her head against the SUV as he forced her back into the vehicle.
The woman escaped a second time a few minutes later, police said. Her name was not released. Officials did not provide a detailed public update on the extent of her injuries. Investigators said the video became key evidence because it showed the sequence of the struggle and helped officers identify the vehicle and suspect. According to a Miami Springs police report, Lopez later admitted during an interview that he had beaten his girlfriend and called it a regular occurrence. Police said the woman did not cooperate with officers and told them she did not want anyone to get in trouble.
A Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office deputy found Lopez in the 1700 block of Northwest 81st Street in the unincorporated West Little River area, police said. The arrest came the same day as the reported attack. Miami Springs police said patrol officers and detectives worked with other law enforcement partners to identify Lopez and locate him. The department said the suspect was taken into custody in less than five hours after the incident was reported. Police did not say whether a weapon was found or whether anyone else was in the SUV during the encounter.
Jail records showed Lopez was being held without bond Friday afternoon at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Miami-Dade County. He faces charges of kidnapping and battery, police said. The charges mark the start of the criminal court process, where prosecutors review police reports, video, witness statements and other evidence before deciding how to proceed. No court date was immediately detailed in the public report. It was not immediately known whether Lopez had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
The case also raised the common challenge police face in domestic violence investigations when a reported victim is reluctant to continue with a case. Investigators can still rely on video, officer observations, medical records, witness accounts and a suspect’s statements when deciding whether to make an arrest. In this case, police said the video showed the woman trying to get away more than once. The department described the incident as domestic in nature and said the violence happened in public view along a road used by local traffic and commuters.
Miami Springs is a small city surrounded by larger Miami-Dade communities, including Hialeah, Miami and unincorporated areas near Miami International Airport. Northwest South River Drive runs along a busy industrial and transportation stretch where businesses, hotels and passing traffic can place incidents within reach of cameras and witnesses. Police did not say who recorded the video or whether it came from a business, a vehicle or another source. They also did not say how long the woman had been in the SUV before she first tried to escape.
The next steps in the case are expected to come through Miami-Dade criminal court records and any further statements from police or prosecutors. Investigators may continue reviewing the video, interviewing witnesses and documenting the woman’s injuries. Lopez remained in custody as of the latest public update Friday afternoon. The police report’s statement that Lopez described the violence as a regular occurrence could become part of the evidence prosecutors review as they weigh the case.
Police released the video one day after the attack and said the arrest followed a fast search across agency lines. As of Saturday, June 20, Lopez remained publicly identified as the suspect, the woman had not been named, and the case was pending its next court step.
Author note: Last updated June 20, 2026.