NORTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - A day after an inmate escaped his hospital room at Jackson Memorial Hospital, Miami Police continue their search for the individual.
Dozens of officers began their search Monday evening scouring nearby neighborhoods in Northwest Miami-Dade for 25-year-old Leskeil Shaquille Richards.
Richards was taken to the hospital Sunday after a rough arrest by Miami Police. They said he managed to break free from his hospital room restraints and run away just before 6 p.m., Monday.
“We don’t know if he only had one hand restrained, so that’s under investigation,” said Miami Police officer Kenia Fallat.
Miami Police said Richards was arrested for a probation violation, including removing an ankle monitor placed on him for past crimes, but it’s the tough takedown that sent him to Jackson Memorial Hospital.
Bystanders shot cellphone video showing Richards kneeling in the street, arms behind his back, head restrained as at least two officers appeared to hit him.
The tough takedown happened in the area of Northwest 18th Avenue and 62nd Street in Northwest Miami-Dade, at around 4:45 p.m., Sunday.
According to the Miami Herald, one of the officers had just returned to duty after shooting and killing a robbery suspect at a trailer park last month.
Miami Police would not confirm nor deny the reporting or identify the officers to 7News.
Police said the bodycam video tells a different story, but with the Department of Justice just ending five years of oversight of the Miami Police Department on Feb. 16, the incident is already raising backlash from one South Florida leader who is demanding answers.
Congresswoman Frederica Wilson released a statement saying in part, “We will not allow our beautiful city to return to the day when black men were viewed as caricatures, beaten, and murdered by the police! A thorough investigation is required, and swift firings and punishments must follow.”
Wilson was among those pushing for action after a 2013 DOJ report found a pattern of deadly excessive force in the Miami Police Department.
While some have questioned how an unarmed man should’ve been apprehended, Miami Police insist his prior offenses — robbery, battery, carrying a concealed firearm — make Richards a dangerous fugitive.
“He is considered dangerous. You should not approach him. You should instead immediately pick up that phone and call 911,” Fallat said.
7News reached out to Miami Police to request the bodycam video.
Richards lives in Broward County and has a tattoo of a crown on his neck.
If you see Richards, you are urged to call 911.
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