MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - A man was arrested Tuesday after police said he slashed a giant inflatable FIFA World Cup soccer ball displayed in Miami Beach, causing it to rapidly deflate.
Jorden Stephen Perozo, 34, is charged with felony criminal mischief causing more than $1,000 in damage, according to a Miami Beach Police arrest report.
Investigators said a witness called police on Tuesday morning after seeing a man on an electric scooter slash a giant inflatable FIFA soccer ball representing Uruguay near 71st Street and Rue Vendome.
During 7News reporter Samantha Sosa’s live shot on Monday night, the large inflatable could be seen slowly deflating as she signed off.
The witness, Abdul, who also works at 7News, told officers he saw the ball as it deflated and the suspect quickly leaving the area.
“I saw the ball slowly deflating,” said Abdul.
Abdul said he had just gotten off work and was waiting for a friend at the Normandy Isles fountain when he spotted a man near the ball.
“A man on a scooter rolls up and pulls something from his pocket. I can’t see it quite clearly, but then he slashes at the giant balloon and starts to ride his scooter away,” he said.
He initially didn’t realize that the inflatable had been slashed.
“At first I thought he maybe just punched it or wanted to feel it,” said Abdul.
He added that he didn’t think much of it until he heard two women saying they saw that man carrying a knife in his hand. The following morning, he called Miami Beach Police.
Authorities said Miami Beach’s Real-Time Crime Center managed to track the suspect through city surveillance cameras from the scene to a silver Nissan sedan parked near 81st Street and Hawthorne Avenue.
Officers located Perozo and conducted a show-up identification, during which the witness positively identified him as the person who vandalized the display, according to the report.
“I received a call saying they found a potential suspect and it was the same man that I saw on the scooter earlier,” said Abdul.
Detectives said surveillance footage showed Perozo arriving on his scooter near the inflatable before fleeing moments later.
Investigators also matched his clothing and backpack to images captured by city cameras.
Miami Beach Detective Pablo Gonzalez told the court he was informed the damage to the inflatable was evaluated at approximately $3,125.
After being taken to the Miami Beach Police Criminal Investigations Unit, Perozo initially told detectives he had been intoxicated and could not remember what happened.
Police said he later confessed to slashing the inflatable after being advised of his rights.
The balloon slashing occurred just hours after 62,764 fans filled the stands of Miami Stadium to watch Uruguay play against Saudi Arabia in a match that ended in a draw.
What was quickly becoming a popular backdrop for Uruguayan fans to show support for their team is now gone.
“Shout out to Team Uruguay. We can’t have their ball in our shot anymore but I hope there’s less events like this for the rest of the World Cup,” said Abdul.
On Tuesday afternoon, a group had made their way to the fountain in hopes of taking photos with the inflatable only to find out it was gone. Despite that, they brought a Uruguayan flag to show their spirit.
“I saw the ball, I said, ‘Oh, we’re gonna come at another time to take pictures.’ We came today and the ball is gone,” said Uruguay fan Tamara Ovalle.
The damaged display was one of 48 giant inflatable soccer balls installed throughout Miami Beach ahead of the FIFA World Cup, which is expected to bring about 1 million visitors to South Florida.
Miami Beach Commissioner Joe Magazine told 7News city officials are not sure if they’ll be able to replace the ball before Uruguay’s next match on Sunday against Cabo Verde.
“Whether we’re able to get the ball back or not, we’re gonna have a great activation for Uruguay,” said Magazine.
As for Perozo, he was already out on bond for an unrelated crime at the time of this incident so he is expected to appear in court again, Wednesday.
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