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 Monday morning after seeing a man on an electric scooter slash a giant inflatable FIFA soccer ball near 71st Street and Rue Vendome.
The witness told officers the ball immediately began deflating and the suspect quickly left the area.
Police said Miami Beach’s Real-Time Crime Center tracked 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.
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.
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 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.
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