The man who allegedly brutally assaulted a bride-to-be in Dallas just weeks before her wedding has been arrested, police have confirmed.
The suspect, Trevon Woodard, 27, was arrested Friday following an investigation of the incident. Woodard has a lengthy criminal history, which includes burglary of a motor vehicle, misdemeanor assault, and assaulting a police officer. At the time of the most recent assault, he was on parole, having recently been released from prison.
Canada Rinaldi, 27, of Oklahoma, was celebrating her upcoming wedding with six close friends in Dallas when she was assaulted by a stranger just before 2 a.m. on March 23, as previously reported by The Dallas Express. The attack, which happened in the 2600 block of Floyd Street in Deep Ellum, left Rinaldi with a concussion, a broken nose, and missing teeth. She received eight stitches on her forehead at a local hospital.
“I was doing a lot of things to prepare for my wedding. I was like — beauty things — to try to be the best version of myself on that day, and I feel like it was just taken away from me,” Rinaldi told NBC. “It’s just shocking, and especially when I look at myself, it’s hard to believe.”
Dashcam footage from a nearby rideshare car captured the terrifying moment when a man approached Rinaldi from behind. Initially appearing to reach for her hat, the suspect instead threw a sudden hard punch at the woman, knocking her unconscious.
Kelly Peralta, one of Rinaldi’s bachelorette party celebrants, was also allegedly attacked and injured by Woodards during the incident.
“We started walking across the street to get into the Uber, and that’s when he came from behind and he punched Canada, and she went straight down, and I turned to push him away, and that’s when he got me,” Peralta told reporters.
Peralta sustained a black eye and facial swelling from the attack.
Woodard was taken into custody in Bedford, Texas, on March 28 and is now facing multiple felony charges related to the assault on Rinaldi and her group. He is being held in the Tarrant County jail on a $76,500 bond.
A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to help with Rinaldi’s medical expenses as she recovers in the weeks leading up to her wedding. As of the afternoon of March 31, the fundraiser had received $19,801 in donations.