Police said a hallway argument moved outside and ended with a tenant hospitalized, a witness injured and the landlord jailed.

MIAMI, Fla. — A 78-year-old Miami landlord faces an aggravated battery charge after police said he followed a tenant outside with a machete and wounded him during a June 10 argument over household items that needed to be discarded.

Victor Rodriguez-Polledo was arrested at the Southwest 17th Street property after officers found the tenant bleeding from his right arm and pressing clothing against his wrist, according to an arrest report described by local news organizations. A witness who intervened also suffered a minor hand injury. A judge ordered Rodriguez-Polledo held without bond after his arrest. The accusation remains pending, and the available reports did not identify the tenant or disclose a plea from Rodriguez-Polledo.

The confrontation began shortly before 6 p.m. inside a home in the 1900 block of Southwest 17th Street, police said. Rodriguez-Polledo and the tenant were standing in a hallway and arguing about items that needed to be thrown away. Investigators did not specify what the items were, who owned them or how long the disagreement had been developing. During the exchange, police said, Rodriguez-Polledo cursed at the tenant in Spanish and told him, “You’ll see what I have for you.” The tenant then walked outside. The report portrays that move as the point when a verbal dispute became a physical confrontation. Rodriguez-Polledo allegedly went after him while carrying a machete. No report available publicly explained where the machete had been stored or how much time passed before he returned with it.

Police said Rodriguez-Polledo raised the machete and swung at the tenant after following him from the house. One blow struck the tenant around the right shoulder and arm with what a local report described as the back of the blade. Rodriguez-Polledo allegedly swung again as the tenant tried to protect himself. The second movement left a deep wound near the tenant’s right wrist, investigators said. The victim also had scratches and other cuts. Reports described the wrist injury as about 3 inches deep, though they did not provide the wound’s length or explain whether surgery was required. Fire rescue crews took the tenant to a hospital. Authorities did not release his condition after treatment, and no later medical update was included in the reports reviewed for this account.

The injured tenant tried to stop the attack by pushing Rodriguez-Polledo against a fence and reaching for the weapon, police said. Both men fell as they struggled. A woman who witnessed the confrontation then stepped in and removed the machete, according to the arrest account. She sustained a minor cut to her hand during the intervention. Reports did not identify her or say whether paramedics treated her at the scene. Her actions ended the immediate fight before police arrived. The account does not say whether other residents saw the dispute, whether anyone recorded it or who called 911. Those details could become important if prosecutors and defense attorneys later give different explanations of what happened outside the home.

Officers responding to the reported machete assault detained Rodriguez-Polledo at the property. They found the tenant bleeding and trying to control the injury with a piece of clothing, police said. Investigators later located a machete behind the home. Local reporting said the weapon appeared to have blood on it. Authorities did not disclose whether detectives collected fingerprints, DNA samples or photographs from the blade, fence, hallway or yard. They also did not say whether the machete had been submitted for laboratory testing. Such testing is not necessary for an arrest when officers believe witness statements and visible injuries establish probable cause, but physical evidence can become significant if a felony case proceeds toward trial.

Rodriguez-Polledo gave officers a statement after he was taken into custody, according to the arrest affidavit. The public version of the document did not reveal what he said because the statement was redacted. That omission leaves his account of the encounter unknown. The available reports do not say whether he claimed self-defense, disputed using the blade or acknowledged arguing with the tenant. They also do not describe any visible injuries to Rodriguez-Polledo. Prosecutors may eventually disclose more of his statement through court filings or evidence exchanged with the defense, although some information can remain restricted while a criminal case is active.

Police arrested Rodriguez-Polledo on an allegation of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. Under Florida law, aggravated battery can be charged when a person committing a battery intentionally or knowingly causes great bodily harm, permanent disability or permanent disfigurement, or uses a deadly weapon. The offense is classified as a second-degree felony. A charge is an accusation, not a finding of guilt. Prosecutors must decide whether to formally pursue the count filed after the arrest, change it or decline to proceed. The state would bear the burden of proving each element beyond a reasonable doubt if the case reached trial.

The case entered Miami-Dade County’s felony court system after Rodriguez-Polledo was booked. A judge reviewing the arrest ordered him held without bond, local reports said. That ruling meant he could not secure immediate release by paying a set amount, though detention conditions can later be reconsidered in court. Public accounts did not explain the judge’s full reasoning or identify any release conditions considered at the hearing. Factors in detention decisions can include the charge, the alleged use of a weapon, the defendant’s history, ties to the community and the safety of witnesses or victims. The available reports did not provide information about Rodriguez-Polledo’s prior record.

The landlord-tenant relationship adds a separate layer to the criminal allegation, but the arrest account gives little information about the housing arrangement. It does not say how long the tenant had lived at the property, whether Rodriguez-Polledo also lived there or whether the two had previous disputes. There is no indication in the reports that the confrontation involved unpaid rent, an eviction filing or a formal code-enforcement matter. Police described the immediate disagreement only as an argument over items that needed to be thrown away. Any civil disagreement about possession, rent or use of the property would remain separate from the allegation that a weapon was used.

The property sits in Miami’s Shenandoah area, a residential neighborhood west of Interstate 95 and near Little Havana. The police response occurred during the early evening, when residents would ordinarily be returning home or moving through neighborhood streets. Available reporting did not describe a continuing threat to the public after Rodriguez-Polledo was detained. Authorities also did not report searching for another suspect. The event appears to have been confined to people connected to the home, first in its hallway and then near a fence outside. Police have not publicly identified the hospital that treated the tenant.

The tenant’s statement, the witness’s account and the recovered machete form the main publicly known parts of the case. Each may receive closer review as attorneys examine the sequence of events. Investigators could seek medical records to document the depth and location of the wounds, emergency call recordings to establish timing, and body-camera footage showing what officers encountered. Prosecutors may also interview the witness again and compare her description with the tenant’s account. The defense can challenge the accuracy, completeness or interpretation of that evidence and may offer a different account through motions, testimony or other records.

Several questions remain unanswered. Police have not publicly said whether the tenant was still hospitalized, whether the wrist injury caused lasting damage or whether the witness required follow-up care. Authorities have not released photographs of the scene or the weapon beyond any evidence retained for the case. It is also unclear whether the hallway argument had earlier stages not included in the arrest affidavit. The affidavit establishes the basis for taking a person into custody; it is not a complete presentation of evidence and does not resolve disputed facts.

Rodriguez-Polledo’s age could be raised by lawyers when addressing detention, medical care or any eventual sentence, but it does not by itself determine whether he is legally responsible. The central questions remain what happened after the trash-related dispute, whether he intentionally used the machete against the tenant and whether the state can prove the charged offense. The tenant’s effort to block the second swing and the witness’s decision to intervene are likely to remain key parts of the prosecution’s account.

The case remained centered on one aggravated battery accusation in the latest publicly available reports. The next milestones were expected to come through Miami-Dade court filings, including a charging decision, future hearings and the release of additional evidence.

Author note: Last updated July 12, 2026.