Jonathan Amaya, a Miami, Florida Dolphins football player, was arrested Monday after he was accused of strangling a taxi cab driver during a dispute, news sources indicate. The cab driver, Salvador Vunge, appears to have escaped the alleged assault without serious injuries. Amaya, 24, was booked into the Miami-Dade County Jail on battery charges. He was later released on a $1,500 bail bond. It is not yet known whether Amaya has hired a lawyer.
Reports say Amaya is a reserve safety for the Miami Dolphins football team. He first joined the team after he graduated from the University of Nevada-Reno in 2010. Afterwards, the team took him on as a free agent. The Dolphins later traded him to the New Orleans Saints in 2011, but he came back to the Dolphins in September 2012. Amaya has participated in several skirmishes for the beloved Miami team so far this year. It is unclear how this recent arrest will affect his position with the team; many sports teams have clauses regarding suspension or termination due to violent crimes. Regarding the allegations, a spokesperson from the Dolphins team said, "We are aware of the situation and are in the process of gathering information."
The incident occurred at around 4:00 Monday morning soon after a cab driver, 44-year-old Salvador Vunge, picked up Amaya outside of a Miami club. Vunge told police that Amaya offered him $100 in fare to take him to a Weston in Broward County. However, Vunge said he hesitated. "I told him I could not take him there because it was a long distance," he told reporters. However, "[Amaya] insisted and I decided to give him a ride," Vunge reported. Vunge then started out on the drive with Amaya in the back seat, but he later told authorities that he noticed something alarming about Amaya's behavior. "We were on the MacArthur Causeway and he was on the phone, and I didn't like his attitude. It felt not safe for me," Vunge explained in a report.