MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - Police have arrested a man in connection to one of two deadly St. Patrick’s Day weekend shootings on Ocean Drive that triggered chaos in the spring break destination and prompted city officials to impose a curfew.
According to Miami Beach Police, 24-year-old Dontavious Polk is the man captured on surveillance video opening fire in the direction of people walking on the sidewalk near 11th Street and Ocean Drive, at around 3:30 a.m., Sunday.
The security footage, given to 7News by a law enforcement source, captured the suspect pulling a gun from underneath his T-shirt and firing multiple shots, striking a man.
Paramedics rushed the victim to Jackson Memorial Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
Police said the gun Polk used was found near 12th Street and Collins Avenue.
Witness Travis Turner, who said he was visiting the area from Michigan, heard the bullets.
“Next thing I know, I started hearing about two shots. I got low and got scared,” he said.
Polk’s arrest comes as detectives continue to investigate a Friday night shooting near Seventh Street and Ocean Drive.
Investigators said one man was killed and another was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
Officers took a man into custody at the scene.
In addition to the gun violence, city officials said revelers have displayed reckless and rowdy behavior in the entertainment district.
Cellphone video captured a group jumping on an SUV near Seventh Street and Ocean Drive, Sunday night.
The chaos has prompted city officials to take drastic measures, and on Sunday, they announced a curfew for South Beach that will extend from 11:59 p.m. on Sunday to 6 a.m. on Monday.
Another curfew will possibly be issued for the same hours between this coming Thursday and Sunday.
Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber weighed in on the matter in a video message posted on Sunday.
“The volume of people in our city, the unruly nature in the presence of guns, has created a peril that cannot go unchecked, especially in the evenings,” he said.
Officials have also instructed businesses in South Beach to close by midnight as well.
Sunday afternoon, spring breakers reacted to news of the curfew.
“It’s a good thing, but this world is just so evil, it’s going to happen regardless,” said Joann Jones, who is visiting from New Jersey.
“Guns definitely come out at night. I wouldn’t think about shooting someone in the daytime, so I think a curfew is an effective method of mitigating gun violence,” said Miami resident Gregory Conroy.
Polk faces a first-degree murder charge.
Gelber said officers have recovered 70 guns from South Beach this weekend, as of late Sunday night.
Police have not disclosed the victims’ identities, as they continue to investigate both shootings.
Copyright 2023 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.