A police affidavit describes a homemade shank, a random attack and a three-hour effort to arrest the suspect.
MIAMI, Fla. — The criminal case against Raydean Johnson turns on a sudden sidewalk attack, a modified tire pressure gauge and police statements that describe a three-hour standoff in downtown Miami.
Johnson, 49, is accused of attacking Caitlin Dydzuhn on May 19 as she walked her dog near Biscayne Boulevard and Northeast 8th Street. Police said the assault was random and left Dydzuhn with major facial injuries, including damage that caused partial blindness. The case now includes felony charges, questions about Johnson’s prior record, a possible negligent security claim involving Dydzuhn’s condominium and a set of statements attributed to Johnson before and after his arrest. He was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where local reports said he remained held without bond.
The weapon described by investigators has become one of the most distinct pieces of evidence in the case. Police said Johnson had a homemade shank made from a tire pressure gauge with a concrete nail attached to the end. The device was tied to his right hand with a shoelace, according to the arrest report. Early accounts from the scene said a woman had been stabbed in the face with a pen, but later police details described the modified gauge and nail. Investigators said Johnson used the object after pushing Dydzuhn from behind, knocking her to the ground, punching her and slamming her head into the pavement.
Dydzuhn later told reporters she did not see the attack coming. She had just left MarinaBlue, the 60-story condominium tower at 888 Biscayne Boulevard, to walk her dog when she was ambushed. “I started to see fists flying at me from, you know, my peripheral vision, like hooks,” Dydzuhn said. She said she then understood that a person was attacking her and focused only on blocking what she feared would be a fatal blow. Police said she screamed for help while Johnson continued the assault. A witness intervened, pushed and kicked the attacker away and helped create enough space for Dydzuhn to escape the immediate danger.
The injuries listed by police and described by Dydzuhn show why prosecutors charged the case as more than a simple assault. Dydzuhn was taken to a hospital, where she was treated for serious lacerations and damage around her left eye. Police records cited in reports described a broken left orbital socket, stitches to her nose and permanent facial disfigurement. Dydzuhn said she needed surgery and has been left visually impaired. “I had to call my parents, and you know, break the news to them,” she said through tears in one interview. Her attorney, Judd Rosen, said she was nearly killed and continues to deal with pain and fear.
The arrest did not happen at once. Witnesses pointed officers toward Johnson, and police found him near a CVS across from the Kaseya Center. Authorities shut down part of Biscayne Boulevard while officers tried to negotiate. Police said Johnson refused to drop the weapon and surrender. During the standoff, investigators said he vandalized a private wall in the 800 block of Biscayne Boulevard by engraving “REPENT ALL” and other phrases. He also threatened officers, according to the arrest report. Police said he shouted that he would stab them as he had stabbed the woman in the eye if they came close.
Officers used force after about three hours of negotiations, police said. According to investigators, Johnson advanced toward officers while armed. Police deployed Tasers against his back, and a detective used a tactical shield to pin him down. Backup officers then disarmed and handcuffed him. Video shown by local stations captured the moment Johnson fell after officers used Tasers. Police said he refused to provide identification, so investigators used fingerprints to identify him. Miami police spokeswoman Kiara Delva said officers worked to de-escalate the confrontation, describing the approach as necessary when a person is armed and in distress in a crowded downtown area.
After the arrest, police said Johnson was medically evaluated and taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital. The affidavit said he made an unsolicited statement to a guarding officer, saying he attacked the victim and attempted to stab her because “the devil told him to do it.” Local reports said Johnson faces charges that include attempted murder, aggravated battery with great bodily harm, criminal mischief while armed, resisting arrest with violence and resisting arrest without violence. Law&Crime reported that court records showed attempted murder and aggravated battery causing severe bodily harm. Local10 reported that Johnson also had five warrant cases connected to a probation violation and other charges.
Those prior cases have become part of the security debate that followed Dydzuhn’s interviews. Rosen said Johnson was a “known problem” and argued that security at MarinaBlue should have been watching the area around the entrance. He said cameras were blocked by bushes and shrubbery and questioned why no building security stopped the assault. Dydzuhn said she was screaming on the ground and felt helpless. “No one’s coming to help you, not my building security,” she said. Rosen said he is looking at a negligent security lawsuit against the building. WSVN and NBC6 reported that requests for comment to the property or management had not produced a reported response.
The case sits at the intersection of criminal prosecution and possible civil litigation. Prosecutors will have to prove the charges against Johnson in court, including the attempted murder allegation and the elements tied to the weapon and injuries. Any civil claim would be separate and would likely focus on what security staff knew, what they saw, where cameras were aimed and whether the attack was foreseeable. Police have not reported that Johnson and Dydzuhn knew each other. They have described the attack as random, a detail that could shape both the criminal record and the arguments over whether anyone else could have prevented it.
Dydzuhn has said the attack changed the way she lives outside her home. Johnson remained in custody as the criminal case continued, while questions about the condo’s perimeter security and any future civil filing remained unresolved.
Author note: Last updated June 18, 2026.