MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Police arrested a Miami-Dade man Wednesday on a manslaughter charge after investigators accused him of fatally punching a man at a southwest Miami-Dade pub in June.
The incident happened on June 22 at Duffy’s Tavern at 2108 SW 57th Ave. in the county’s Coral Terrace area, police said.
Recommended Videos
According to an arrest warrant, police obtained surveillance video showing 55-year-old Placido Garza punching 52-year-old Robert Padgett, Jr. at around 8 p.m. that night.
The video depicted Padgett approaching Garza, who was sitting at a table on the establishment’s patio, the warrant said. According to investigators, after a brief conversation, Garza stood up and punched Padgett, causing him to fall to the ground.
Garza then left the scene, police said. Padgett was taken to an area hospital and doctors pronounced him brain dead the next day, the warrant states.
🚨 SEEKING INFORMATION: On 6/22/22, Robert Padgett Jr. was killed in the area of 2108 SW 57 Avenue. Anyone with information is urged to contact @CrimeStopper305 at (305) 471-8477. All calls are kept strictly anonymous. pic.twitter.com/qbmycyeHV8
— Miami-Dade Police (@MiamiDadePD) July 15, 2022
Doctors pronounced Padgett dead June 25 and an autopsy later confirmed he died of blunt force head trauma. The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner classified his death as a homicide.
After interviewing tavern employees on June 27, detectives said they learned that the suspect worked for American Airlines and was named “Garza.” A waiter said Garza told him that he punched Padgett.
Police later found Garza and took him to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where he was held on a $25,000 bond.