MIAMI (WSVN) - A man who was injured in an officer-involved shooting that caused a panic at a music festival in downtown Miami appeared in front of a judge from his hospital room, less than a week after police said they were forced to fire.
Twenty-one-year-old Menelek Emmanuel Clarke faces several charges, including battery of an officer, resisting an officer with violence, fleeing and eluding police, and leaving the scene of a crash after, police said, he drove his car into an officer near Bayfront Park in the middle of the Best of the Best Concert.
A video posted to social media shows the officer on top of the man’s car, shooting through the windshield several times as the car is in motion.
The shooting occurred at the intersection of Biscayne Boulevard and Northeast Second Street, Sunday.
According to the arrest report, Clarke failed to stop driving toward him, even as the officer raised his hand.
Clarke’s vehicle then allegedly made contact with the officer, causing him to reveal his state-issued firearm and slap the hood of the vehicle.
The suspect then allegedly continued to drive as the officer clung to the edge of the hood, causing him to open fire, striking the vehicle and Clarke multiple times.
After colliding with another police vehicle, Clarke’s car came to a stop, causing the suspect to exit and flee the scene.
Seconds later, officers confronted Clarke. They held the suspect at gunpoint and took him into custody.
Investigators said one of the bullets went straight through Clarke’s chest, while others hit his arm and thigh.
Cellphone video captured Clarke, his white T-shirt shirt bloody, as officers placed him in handcuffs.
Paramedics transported both the suspect and the officer to Jackson Memorial Hospital Ryder Trauma Center.
The officer suffered only minor injuries and Clarke is in stable condition.
Clarke’s sister, Sherylann, was seated in the passenger’s seat. She provided an account of the incident that doesn’t align with what police said.
Sherylann said she and her brother do not believe he intentionally struck the officer and that they were looking for parking when the shooting occurred.
“He’s moving with his car, as he’s moving, trying to get out of his way. Then he pulls out his gun to shoot him,” she said.
The shooting sent concertgoers running for cover Sunday as chaos unfolded out on the street.
“I had to meet my cousin out here, and gunshots are fired, and I’m like, ”unbelievable,’” said concertgoer Gigi Gordan.
“I just heard three gunshots,” said a witness who identified herself as Victoria.
In court, Menelek’s attorney, Michael Orenstein, said his client wasn’t trying to leave the scene.
“My client wasn’t fleeing, wasn’t eluding. He was shot multiple times, and he stopped the car, got out of the car with his arms raised and listened to commands,” he said.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is now investigating the incident to determine whether or not the officer’s use of force was justified.
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