Two Miami beach police officers were hospitalized early this morning after a police shootout erupted on a normally serene stretch of South beach. Miami Beach Police Sgt. Alejandro Bello told the Miami Herald newspaper that the officers’ injuries are not life-threatening. The shootout was one of two violent incidents that marred the annual “Urban Beach Week” festivities that draws thousands of young black people to the beaches from around the country.
In this riveting video shot by mkradio and uploaded to YouTube, a black SUV careens down a busy street hitting other cars as gunshots ring out just before 4 a.m. in the 100 block of 15th Street.
A man can be heard in the background saying two police officers shot at the SUV, stopping it at an intersection. As the video rolls, officers wearing black cautiously approach the vehicle from the front and driver’s side. “He crashed all the cars,” explains the narrator as the camera pans behind the SUV to show a line of cars stopped in the street. Just then, a hail of gunfire shatters the night air.
When the gunfire ceases, the narrator declares, “Ooh, they killed everyone [inside the car]!”
Detective Jenny Velazquez confirmed 1 man was dead and two police officers were receiving treatment at Mount Sinai Medical Center with unknown injuries.
A second shooting incident occurred in the 1300 block of Washington Avenue on Miami Beach. Velazquez said details remain sketchy and no injuries were reported in that incident. “Everything is very cloudy right now,” she said.
Multiple law enforcement agencies from around the state of Florida have converged on Miami Beach to help restore order during this weekend’s chaotic Urban Beach Week, also known as Black Beach week, part of the Memorial Day weekend spate of concerts, parties and events organized by promoters from as far away as New York and Atlanta.
Urban Beach week in South Florida traditionally sparks an exodus of whites from South Beach during the 3-day weekend.
