Two Miami Beach officers were injured Friday night in an attempt to disperse large crowds in the spring and one teenager was arrested after he allegedly incited a riot when officers asked him to evacuate the area.
Miami Beach police were trying to break up a group of about 200 or more people who blocked a road, drank with open containers and who appeared to be smoking marijuana, the department said. James Harrison, 19, was arrested on charges of a police officer, incitement to riot and disorderly conduct after he allegedly did not leave after officers asked.
Harrison shouted “f — the police” and told officers “you can suck me d —” after Miami Beach officials showed up to disperse the crowd, according to a police report. He also pushed an officer as a crowd gathered around them, more than the officers, the police report said.
Officers used pepper spray and 11 gingerbread cookies to hold the crowd back while trying to arrest Harrison, who resisted orders, police said. Harrison allegedly grabbed an officer’s police jacket when they tried to turn him around and place handcuffs on him.
The officer and Harrison struggled and eventually fell to the ground, and two other officers had to help get Harrison in handcuffs, the police report said.
Prison records were not available to Harrison on Sunday in Miami-Dade County’s website, and public records do not have a phone number to contact him. The court reports did not list an attorney for Harrison.
Two officers who were injured Friday night were treated for their injuries and released Saturday morning but remain on duty, Miami police officer Ernesto Rodriguez said Sunday. About 30 people were arrested on Saturday on various charges and large crowds continued on Saturday.
On videos and photos posted on social media sites, including Snapchat’s public Snap Map, there are large, maskless crowds drinking and dancing in Miami over the weekend, as well as large gatherings on beaches.
Public health experts last month expressed concern over NBC News that the spring break could lead to another increase in coronavirus cases if people ignore the social distance recommendations to ignore the spread of the virus.
Miami Beach has set a midnight curfew, and alcohol on the beach is banned, but Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has not issued the mandate, capacity restrictions or similar restrictions across the country, despite concerns about the distribution of the spring.
In Miami Beach, tourists receive cell phone messages with the warning: “Vacation responsible or being arrested.”
‘Spring break in Miami Beach is perhaps one of the great rites of passage, but only if you plan to follow the rules. Otherwise, you might as well stay home and save on court costs, ” reads the message, followed by reminders of the midnight curfew, that no alcohol can be sold after 10pm and that alcohol, coolers and tents from the beach be prohibited. .
‘If you want to party without parties, then go somewhere else. Go to Vegas, ”Miami Beach City manager Raul Aguila said at a recent virtual city meeting.
Tourism is the Sunshine State’s no. 1 industry, which in 2018 generated more than $ 91 billion. Last year, the spring break was one of the first major victims of the pandemic when the US shut down strictly. Beaches across Florida were closing in, but scenes of college students drinking, dancing and getting close without masks were still shared on social media.
Miami tourism officials say they lost billions of dollars during the three months last year.
DeSantis was criticized last year for not issuing a nationwide mandate to close beaches in front of the crowd during the spring break and concerns about the spread of the virus. Business in Florida increased by the end of March and early April, and many of the partygoers who appeared in the news expressed regret over their actions.
Brady Sluder went viral last year because he told a local news crew: “If I get corona, I get corona. At the end of the day, I will not stop it from partying.” He later apologized on his Instagram and urged others not to “be arrogant and think you are invincible like me.”
“I would like to sincerely apologize for the insensitive remark I made regarding COVID-19 during the spring break,” Sluder wrote. “I was not aware of the seriousness of my actions and comments. I want to take this time to apologize for my own mistakes and to apologize to the people I have offended.”
Last month’s Super Bowl in Tampa Bay also expressed concern and criticism about possible superspreader events as crowds gathered for parties in the area.
Officials said the sporting event itself was not a superspreader, but that a boom in cases was likely caused by private gatherings – in homes or unofficial events at pubs and restaurants – which, according to the Florida Department of Health, revolved around the Super Bowl spun. report.
The static positive percentage between Jan. 22 and Feb. 24 was 7.3 percent, but the positivity rate was 7.9 percent in Hillsborough County, where the Super Bowl took place. The report also noted that the actual number of cases specifically linked to the Super Bowl is likely to be much higher.
The findings were likely hampered by a lack of cooperation in contact detection, Michael Wiese, chief epidemiologist at the Department of Health, told the Tampa Bay Times.
“Unfortunately, there is a large percentage of people who do not want to participate and do not want to share their personal information with us,” Wiese said.
Florida has reported more than 1.9 million cases of coronavirus, with 32,828 coronavirus-related deaths as of Sunday morning. About 11 percent of the state’s population has been vaccinated, according to data from NBC News.