MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - Police have arrested a man who allegedly fired shots into a Miami Beach hotel lobby’s floor after he told a mother and her son to practice social distancing at a Miami Beach hotel.
Miami Beach Police arrested 47-year-old Douglas Marks at the Crystal Beach Suites Hotel, along the 6900 block of Collins Avenue, Monday night.
“The guy came and started shooting,” a witness said. “The son and the mom were, like, crying, and they were scared.”
When officers arrived at the hotel, they found a man in the lobby holding a black pistol. They said he surrendered to them and was arrested without incident.
According to a police report, the man was enraged that a mother and child were not social distancing. Detectives said the mother and son angered the man enough for him to allegedly fire gunshots into the lobby’s floor.
Police allege the shooter “continued to scream commands to social distance while holding the firearm and subsequently fired several shots.”
Photos from inside the hotel show at least one bullet hole in the tile, inches away from the hotel’s front desk.
Elio Rodriguez said he was with his wife and child in their room when they heard a bevy of shots, and he instinctively shielded his family.
“‘Bam! Bam!’ Real loud, loud. I just grabbed everybody and put them on the floor,” Rodriguez said. “I grabbed my daughter and everybody and put them on the floor.”
Hotel staff said Marks was trying to check in before the shooting occurred.
Tourists staying at the hotel said they are glad the chaos is over.
“I mean, that could have been us,” a tourist said.
“Yeah, we could have been down there and got shot,” a second tourist said.
No injuries were reported.
Marks faces several charges, including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, using a firearm while committing a felony and discharging a firearm in public.
7News has reached out Crystal Beach Suites Hotel for comment, but they have not responded. 7News has also requested surveillance footage of the incident, but the hotel has not released it.
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