Mother and Grandmother of Cuban Officer Accused in Hialeah Assault Share Their Side of the Story

The family of Marcia Sangronis, a Cuban-born officer with the North Bay Village Police Department, has come forward to publicly defend her. They offer a narrative that starkly contrasts with the police report following her arrest on Tuesday in Hialeah.

Sangronis, 38, was taken into custody by the Hialeah Police after her boyfriend, 30-year-old Ricardo Olivera, alleged that she scratched his arms, face, and back, and repeatedly bit his left forearm as he tried to break up with her. Officers documented three bite marks, one of which broke the skin.

Family's Defense: Allegations of Self-Defense

In an interview with Univision, Sangronis's mother vehemently denied Olivera's account, asserting that her daughter acted in self-defense. "She defended herself because he came looking for trouble, grabbed her by the hair, and my daughter has a bruise here and she's covered in scratches," the mother stated on camera.

The officer's grandmother, who allegedly witnessed the incident firsthand, was even more assertive: "He had her by the arms, and the only defense was to bite. She had to bite him because he was holding her."

The family described Olivera as "obsessive" and "toxic," pointing out Sangronis's studious nature before the incident. "She has always been a diligent student," they noted.

Conflicting Accounts: Olivera's Perspective

Olivera, speaking exclusively to Univision over the phone, presented a conflicting story. He claimed that Tuesday's altercation was not an isolated incident but part of a recurring pattern throughout their two-year relationship, which was marked by breakups and reconciliations. According to him, he was trying to leave, and she was the one preventing it.

The police report partially corroborates his narrative, noting that Sangronis blocked the door and told him, "You can't leave" when he attempted to exit, and again attacked him when he insisted on leaving. Olivera further stated that Sangronis would become "furious and violent" whenever they argued about his lack of ambition in his police career.

Neighbor's Testimony and Legal Implications

An anonymous neighbor, whose earlier testimony was reported by Telemundo 51, provided a perspective more aligned with Sangronis's family. "I saw that it was the man who was stopping her from leaving. She was telling him she would call the police, and he was saying no, that she should promise not to call the police," the witness claimed. This account has not been independently verified and contrasts with the police report.

Sangronis's statement to investigators is redacted in the report, and her attorney has not commented. During her court appearance on Wednesday, Sangronis initially faced a charge of aggravated assault with serious bodily harm, a second-degree felony in Florida punishable by up to 15 years in prison. The judge reduced the charge to simple assault—a misdemeanor—and set bail at $1,000. She was also ordered to have no contact with Olivera and was placed in a pretrial supervision program.

The North Bay Village Police Department has placed Sangronis on paid administrative leave, stating that "the department holds all personnel to the highest standards of conduct and holds them fully accountable for their actions, both on and off duty." According to records cited by NBC Miami, Sangronis was sworn in as an officer in 2025 and was on probation at the time of her arrest, leaving her with fewer job protections than tenured officers.

The reduction of the charge at the initial hearing does not constitute a final resolution: the prosecutor retains the authority to uphold or escalate the charges in later stages of the proceedings.