Miami cops arrest teens after fireworks, riots, fights erupted at Bayside Marketplace
Cops arrested four teens Monday night after fireworks, riots and fights erupted at Bayside Marketplace — resulting in dozens of officers swarming the Downtown Miami shopping mall on New Year’s Day, police said.
Two 15-year-old boys were charged with burglary, third-degree grand theft and battery. Two other boys, ages 14 and 16, and one of the 15-year-olds were charged with resisting arrest without violence, their arrest reports show.
Around 8:30 p.m., countless officers from different parts of Miami rushed to Bayside Marketplace, 401 Biscayne Blvd., in response to a city-wide emergency call at the two-story, open-air shopping center after 911 callers reported hearing what they thought were gunshots, Officer Michael Vega, a police spokesman, told the Miami Herald in an email Tuesday.
“There were several reports of possible gunfire but it was just fireworks,” Vega said.
Videos and live streams started popping up on social media showing numerous police cars occupying Biscayne Boulevard, temporarily shutting it down between Second and Fourth streets, as people ran away. Some of the officers were seen carrying long guns.
“Some officers were heavily armed and approached the crowd displaying high-powered rifles, reflecting the fact that officers were initially erroneously told the situation involved an active shooter,” the Downtown Neighbors Alliance, an organization that represents residents of several condos in the area, said Tuesday in a news release.
According to the teens’ arrest reports, officers began escorting around 50 juveniles out of the mall when they spotted about 15 teens beating up a driver.
When cops used their car’s loudspeakers to tell the teens to stop what they were doing, they ran away, police said. Officers ran after the teens, ending up at a parking garage, 30 SW First St.
After four teens were arrested, the driver said two of them beat him up because he confronted them for throwing a bottle against his car. The driver also told police that one of them stole a blue iPhone 13 Pro Max from his car’s center console.
Some stores were damaged and had to close, police said. The driver, Vega said, was injured but refused to be treated by Miami Fire Rescue paramedics. No one was taken to the hospital.
The names of the 14-year-old and the 16-year-old boys were not released by police. The Herald is not identifying the 15-year-olds because they are minors.
Most of the unruly crowd dispersed by 10:30 p.m., police said.
The Downtown Neighbors Alliance called on officials to use the incident as a “teachable moment.”
“It is crucial for our city leaders to prioritize public safety downtown, striking a balance between preventing disorder, protecting freedom of assembly, and maintaining an environment that does not incite unnecessary panic among residents and visitors.”
This article will be updated when more information is available.
