MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – Miami Beach Police Chief Richard Clements says the city expects large crowds to continue this week and that more officers will be brought in to control the violence and lawbreaking that’s been seen during spring break.
Clements said officers from Miami-Dade County will join the patrol starting Tuesday night and that Coral Gables cops will also be joining Miami Beach police on the streets this weekend.
Parking garages in Miami Beach’s entertainment district will close at 8 p.m., and Clements said the MacArthur Causeway could also be shut down if there is heavy gridlock coming into the city.
In a Tuesday afternoon news conference, Clements also shared an update on Monday night’s homicide investigation.
It was initially believed that two shootings were reported just 30 minutes apart, but Clements said that it was one fatal shooting, where a 27-year-old South Florida man named Sowe Amadu lost his life near Pine Tree Drive and 24th Street.
Clements called it a “senseless act of violence” and said the investigation remains active.
WATCH A REPLAY OF THE POLICE CHIEF’S NEWS CONFERENCE:
Miami Beach Police Chief Richard Clements is scheduled to speak to reporters Tuesday to share “additional measures being put in place to ensure the safety of our residents and visitors.”
Posted by WPLG Local 10 on Tuesday, March 16, 2021
Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said Monday that the city’s popular entertainment district “must go” after what was another chaotic weekend full of arrests.
Gelber committed to putting more officers on patrol and asked Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava to add additional county officers to areas of high tourism.
Other forthcoming initiatives to reduce crime include installing cameras in business corridors, creating a real-time crime center manned 24/7 and heightening code enforcement on businesses and people who flock to South Beach, the mayor said in his “state of the city” Monday.
Clements said that since Feb. 3, Miami Beach police have made 894 arrests, with 332 of those felonies. Half of those arrested live outside of Florida, he said. In that time, 78 firearms have been seized and 5,422 traffic citations have been issued.
Anyone with information about Monday night’s killing is asked to call Miami-Dade CrimeStoppers at 305-471-8477.
Needless to say @MiamiBeachPD has been busy this #SpringBreak and most of these offenders are tourists, a spokesman tells @WPLGLocal10 pic.twitter.com/rnMADHrMFW
— Christian De La Rosa (@delarosaWPLG) March 16, 2021