MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - A chaotic chain of events that began with break-ins at a tire shop in South Beach led to a police pursuit and a young man in handcuffs.
Parts of South Beach, including Collins Avenue and Lummus Park, resembled something out of an action film on Friday, as gun-clutching officers were on the hunt for 20-year-old Marvell Cotton.
It was all part of an explosive start to the Fourth of July weekend in the tourist destination.
7News on Monday spoke with Sean Ashby, the manager at the Goodyear store at 1850 Alton Road where, he said, the perpetrator struck, not once, but twice.
Speaking with 7News on the phone, Ashby said he was alerted about the break-in early Thursday morning, so he went to the shop to check it out.
The manager said he came face-to-face with the suspect, who had returned to the business.
“I startled him, and he stepped back, but he pulled a gun on me,” he said.
The quick-thinking employee said he was able to slam a garage door shut, leaving the gunman just outside the business.
According to Miami Beach Police, Cotton ran through the car wash next door.
Police said they then became on the lookout for the burglar.
Investigators said officers spotted Cotton along Collins Avenue, Friday morning.
Mitch Novick, the owner of nearby Sherbrooke Hotel said he had just wrapped up a morning run, when his neighborhood became the center of a manhunt.
“They were after somebody. Police vehicles [were] going in both directions,” he said. “In the alley behind the building there were police vehicles. Police were out with weapons drawn.”
After a chase through the alley, officers were able to take Cotton into custody.
“I’m gonna go look for the gun,” said an officer in body camera video.
Officers said the suspect had been spotted running with a gun, which was ditched.
The arrest report states that “a black Smith and Wesson 40-caliber was recovered in a black holster with ammunition.”
But the fireworks weren’t done yet, police said.
Arresting officers said that during the apprehension, Cotton “threw punches and actively resisted officers.”
He was eventually jailed and charged with several felonies, bringing to an end a crime spree that started at the Goodyear shop.
Ashby said he’s happy the outcome was not worse.
“From one second to another, it could’ve changed,” he said.
Cotton faces a slew of charges, including aggravated assault with a deadly weapons, burglary and resisting arrest with violence.
The suspect was apprehended hours removed from a shooting in the lobby of the Clevelander Hotel on Ocean Drive that left a front desk employee dead.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.