MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – A 17-year-old boy who died after getting into a fight with a group of juveniles at a Miami-Dade detention center this week was previously arrested by Miami Beach police on an armed robbery charge.
Elord Revolte was arrested Aug. 27 after holding a man up at gunpoint with an accomplice and stealing the man's cellphone, an arrest report said.
According to the report, the victim was approached by two black males on Ninth Street and Washington Avenue. The victim told police that he was thrown to the ground by Revolte while the other robber pointed a silver revolver at him.
The victim said he struggled with both robbers and was "in fear for his life."
Police said Revolte was taken into custody in the 800 block of Pennsylvania Avenue. They said he was "sweating profusely" and was "out of breath."
Meanwhile, the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice is launching an investigation into the Miami-Dade Regional Juvenile Detention Center after Revolte was pronounced dead Monday night at Holtz Children's Hospital.
"This kid was in foster care. He already had so many strikes against him, and yet he comes into a system and instead of the system actually caring for the kid, he ends up dying in the custody of a totally different system -- the Juvenile Justice system. That's pretty horrific," public defender Carlos Martinez said.
Miami-Dade police, who are investigating whether the center followed proper procedures, said Revolte was involved in a fight with 15 to 20 juvenile inmates Sunday afternoon.
DJJ spokeswoman Heather DiGiacomo said Revolte was assessed by medical personnel at the center and then taken to the hospital the next afternoon. He died later that night.
"Accidents can happen," Martinez told Local 10 News. "This was not an accident. This was something that could have been taken care of by taking that kid to the hospital and having a full examination."
"It's absolutely heartbreaking to learn of the death of this young man," secretary Christina Daly said. "In addition to the investigation being conducted by Miami-Dade police, the department has initiated our own investigation to ensure that our very high standards of accountability and transparency are met and all proper procedures were followed. At the conclusion of this investigation, we will inform the public of the findings and take all appropriate action to ensure that we prevent any tragedy like this from ever occurring again. If policies or procedures were not followed, we will hold the appropriate individuals accountable."
The DJJ has sent mental health counselors to assist staff and children at the center in dealing with the tragedy.
"It's not like it's a new situation," Martinez said. "We had a situation in the past where the kids were not getting adequate medical care and, by the way, the contract 12 years ago also said they had care 24/7. It just wasn't delivered 24/7."
Martinez also worked on a similar case in 2003 when Omar Paisely died after not receiving proper medical care at the detention center.
It's unclear if any arrests have been made in Revolte's case.
The cause of death has yet to be determined by the medical examiner's office.
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