MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - A man was arrested after, police said, he was caught recording video of a mother and her 10-year-old daughter in a Forever 21 dressing room in Miami Beach.
7News cameras captured Luca DiMichele shortly after he bonded out of the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in West Miami-Dade, Sunday morning.
When a photographer asked him whether he was DiMichele, the 31-year-old replied, “No,” and tried to avoid 7News’ questions as he walked away.
According to Miami Beach Police, the incident took place Saturday afternoon at the Forever 21 located at 701 Lincoln Road.
Investigators said the victims noticed a cellphone on the floor, in between their stall and the neighboring one, with its camera lens facing upward.
The mother then noticed the person in the next stall repositioned the phone on top of a pile of clothes, and that’s when she knew something was off.
As she and her daughter walked out of the stall, detectives said, the mother grabbed the cellphone and realized it had been recording video of them.
When confronted by the mother, DiMichele told her this was all a misunderstanding and asked her to give his cellphone back. She refused, and kept the phone as she searched for a store manager.
Police said the mother explained to manager what had happened to them inside the stall, and it was at that point that she stopped the video recording.
DiMichele remained at the store and waited for police to arrive and take him into custody. Responding officers didn’t believe this was a misunderstanding and placed the suspect in handcuffs.
According to his Instagram, he is affiliated with Rosaluna Cafe in downtown Miami, along with several other establishments in New York.
When 7News visited the cafe Monday afternoon, staff said DiMichele was not there.
He has since removed any mention of the business from his account.
Shoppers on Lincoln Road reacted to the incident.
“Yeah, I think that’s simply horrifying,” Emma Tilston said. “I mean, I think instantly try and get to a safe space and let folks know, and try to find a way to stop it from happening again, and it’s certainty a violation and completely unacceptable.”
“I really wouldn’t want that to happen to me,” said Tilston’s daughter.
“The more free we are, the more disgusting people are sometimes and they believe woman’s body’s are just a part of them,” Katea Polyakova said. “It’s very sad to be surrounded by things like that and it’s happening all the time.”
DiMichele was charged with video voyeurism and was held on a $2,500 bond but he has since bonded out.
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