MIAMI – Junior Rafael Arias will remain in jail following his arrest in what police called a homophobic attack on South Beach.
Arias’ case was back before a Miami-Dade judge Friday, who revoked his bond at the request of prosecutors, deeming him a danger to the LGBTQ community. The 22-year-old, charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon — with a hate crime enhancement — and resisting arrest, wasn’t physically in court.
A judge had originally set his bond at $50,000 on Thursday.
According to Miami Beach police, the beating happened just before 6 a.m. Wednesday on the beach near Lummus Park.
Police said the victim, a South Beach local, was about to change in a beach tent for his morning swim when Arias, who is homeless, “approached him aggressively and told him to leave.”
An arrest report states that the victim and Arias got into an argument after the victim told him he was not leaving.
“The victim stated in order to defend himself, he used a white pole that was attached to the beach umbrella tents to attempt to push the defendant away,” police wrote in the report. “However, the victim advised that (Arias) overpowered him, took the pole, and began striking him with it. The victim advised that he was able to escape and flee the beach.”
Authorities said the victim sustained cuts and bruises from the attack.
Police said the victim was able to point to Arias as the suspect. Authorities said Arias was “extremely uncooperative” and refused to give his name, but officers were able to identify him through prior encounters.
Miami Beach Commissioner Alex Fernandez was one official asking for Arias to remain locked up.
“We need to protect Miami Beach residents,” he said. “We need to protect the LGBT community from individuals of violent backgrounds like this.”
Arias is said to have a violent criminal history with multiple open cases.
“No one should be targeted for who they are,” Fernandez said.
Edward Summers, the chief executive officer of the LGBTQ group Pridelines, echoed that concern.
“We are a county and a city where people are very supportive of our community but yet we still have to fight these battles out on the street,” Summers said. “It’s very hurtful to our community and it’s scary for some members of our community as well who are just looking to enjoy themselves.”
In a statement, Miami Beach police say they are working to address hate-based incidents.
“The Miami Beach Police Department remains steadfast in its commitment to taking hate crimes seriously. We will continue our strong partnership with the State Attorney’s Office to ensure that these cases are aggressively prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
We recognize that the LGBTQIA+ community is acutely vulnerable to unprovoked acts of violence. To proactively address this, we launched the Miami Beach Police Department's Hate Crime Prevention and Resource Awareness Campaign with an inaugural class of subject matter experts and community stakeholders, which launched on September 5.
This initiative represents a comprehensive strategy to combat hate crimes, with a particular focus on protecting our LGBTQIA+ community. Our ultimate aim is to enhance public safety and improve the quality of life for everyone who lives, works, and visits the City of Miami Beach.
We also have two dedicated LGBTQIA+ Liaisons and the Safe Place program.
We urge anyone who witnesses or experiences hate-based incidents to report them as we work together to create a safer and more inclusive community for all.”
Officer Christopher Bess, Miami Beach Police Department
Arias remained in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center as of Friday morning.