MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - Fists flew and chairs were thrown after brawls broke out in South Beach, the latest in a string of violent incidents that have led to dozens of arrests and lingering worries about the possible spread of COVID-19 among spring breakers.
The social media site Only in Dade shared chaotic viral videos on Sunday showing rough and rowdy melees along Ocean Drive.
“This week, so far, we’ve seen over 100 arrests,” said Miami Beach Police Officer Ernesto Rodriguez.
Local leaders worry that the tourist trouble could eliminate progress made on the COVID-19 pandemic front.
The footage shows a man and a woman exchanging blows. Other fights caused damage to local businesses and even spilled into the Breakwater Hotel and Caffe Milano on Ocean Drive, Saturday night.
The unrest comes a day after a Miami Beach Police officer was captured on cellphone video body-slamming 19-year-old James Harrison near Eighth Street and Ocean Drive following what officials described as a stampede.
“That man was inside that crowd inciting the rest of the crowd,” said Rodriguez.
Investigators said Harrison became aggressive toward police and resisted arrest by grabbing an officer’s vest, and that’s what led to the tough takedown.
“The objective of getting that violent man into custody was achieved,” said Rodriguez.
Harrison was arrested and has since bonded out.
Out of the arrests they have made over the past week, police said, 42 were felonies.
Speaking with 7News on Saturday, Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said they have zero tolerance for anyone who comes to the tourist destination to cause trouble.
“We don’t want the altercations. We don’t want the arrests, but if we have to, we will, because we have to have some measure of control over our environment,” he said.
Aside from battling crime, the city is also battling a pending pandemic, with multiple virus variants reported in the state.
While many revelers have been spotted not wearing masks or practicing social distancing, it’s the people creating crime who, Gelber said, may have an extended spring break in South Florida.
“We’re arresting a lot of people right now. We don’t like it, but we’re going to do it,” he said, “because we don’t have another option, because the option of letting people run wild is just not one we can tolerate.”
Miami Beach Police have also seized 13 guns in the past week.
A curfew remains in place for Miami-Dade County during spring break. It runs from midnight to 6 a.m.
Anyone with questions and concerns about the coronavirus can call the Florida Department of Health’s 24-hour hotline at 1-866-779-6121.
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