BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. – Two people were arrested during a two-day operation by the Broward Sheriff’s Office to combat human trafficking, authorities announced Thursday.
According to BSO spokeswoman Miranda Grossman, Operation Suite 16 was part of the nationwide Coast to Coast Operation.
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“Both operations focused on identifying and assisting trafficking victims, arresting traffickers and making our communities safer,” she said in a news release.
According to Grossman, alleged trafficker Deavion McClendon, 21, of Miami, was arrested Aug. 22 after he dropped off a victim in Dania Beach.
“As McClendon was exiting his vehicle at the hotel, detectives approached him,” Grossman said in the news release. “McClendon reentered his vehicle and accelerated toward detectives, striking several occupied patrol cars.”
Grossman said McClendon was eventually detained and arrested. She said detectives discovered that he also had an active felony warrant for auto theft at the time of his arrest.
In additions to the charges faced for the felony warrant, McClendon also faces charges of aggravated battery on law enforcement and fleeing and eluding.
Grossman said detectives believe he was trafficking the victim they saw him with, however the investigation into his “suspected criminal activities is ongoing.”
As of Thursday afternoon, McClendon was being held without bond at the Broward County Main Jail on an out of state hold for the felony charge of stealing a motor vehicle.
Another man, identified as Randall Taylor, 38, was also arrested during the operation.
Detectives accuse Taylor of targeting young women and teenagers who were homeless or who were experiencing substance abuse problems.
“He coerced the victims to perform commercial sex acts, sell illegal narcotics and commit fraud by leveraging their drug addictions,” Grossman said. “The victims lived with him in deplorable conditions and gave him the proceeds from their commercial sex activities.”
Taylor was arrested on charges that include sex trafficking, labor trafficking, deriving support from proceeds of prostitution, human trafficking of a minor and aggravated manslaughter.
He is currently in federal custody.
“Once his federal sentence is completed, it is expected that he will be brought to Broward County to face these charges,” Grossman said. “The aggravated manslaughter charge relates to the overdose death of a 16-year-old girl in October 2019.”
According to Grossman, BSO made contact with a total of 14 adult victims during the operation and offered them services, including “food, lodging, medical services, drug rehabilitation, counseling/therapy, childcare, education and employment assistance.”
She said the operation helped detectives obtain additional information about other human trafficking suspects as well, and further charges and arrests could occur in the near future.
Those who suspect human trafficking in their community are urged to contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-373-7888, text “HELP” or “INFO” to 233733 or call the BSO non-emergency number at 954-764-4357 (HELP).