Two Miami Beach police officers were injured Friday night in an attempt to disperse large crowds on spring break, arresting a teenager after he allegedly incited a riot when police asked him to vacate the area.
Miami Beach Police tried to separate a group of about 200 or more people who were blocking a road, drinking from open containers and smoking what appeared to be marijuana, the department said. James Harrison, 19, was arrested on charges of assaulting a police officer, inciting riots and disorderly conduct after he allegedly did not leave after police officers asked.
Harrison shouted “f — the police” and said to the cops “you can suck my d —” after the Miami Beach cops arrived to disperse the crowd, according to a police report. He also pushed a police officer when a crowd gathered around them, overtaking the police, said the police report.
Police officers used pepper spray and 11 pepper balls to contain the crowd as they tried to arrest Harrison, who resisted commands, police said. Harrison reportedly grabbed a policeman’s vest when they tried to turn it over and put handcuffs on it.
The policeman and Harrison struggled, eventually falling to the ground, and two other officers had to help handcuff Harrison, the police report said.
Inmate records were not available to Harrison on the Miami-Dade County website on Sunday, and public records did not have a phone number to contact him. The court records did not list a lawyer for Harrison.
Two wounded police officers on Friday night were treated and released on Saturday morning, but are still on holiday, said Miami Beach police officer Ernesto Rodriguez on Sunday. Approximately 30 people were arrested on Saturday on various charges and large crowds persisted on Saturday.
Videos and photos posted on social media sites, including Snapchat’s public Snap Map, showed large crowds without masks drinking and dancing over the weekend in Miami, as well as large beach gatherings.
Public health experts expressed concern to NBC News last month that spring break could bring another increase in coronavirus cases if people ignored recommendations for social distance to prevent the virus from spreading.
Miami Beach imposed a midnight curfew and alcohol on the beach is prohibited, but Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has not issued statewide mask orders, capacity limits or similar restrictions, despite concerns about the spread of spring break.
In Miami Beach, tourists are receiving cell phone messages saying: “Vacation responsibly or being arrested”.
“Spring break in Miami Beach can be one of the great rites of passage, but only if you plan to follow the rules. Otherwise, you might as well stay at home and save the court costs, ”says the message, followed by reminders of the midnight curfew, that no alcohol can be sold after 10 pm and that alcoholic beverages, refrigerators and tents are banned from your beach.
“If you want to party without restrictions, go somewhere else. Go to Vegas, ”said Miami Beach city manager Raul Aguila during a recent virtual city meeting.
Tourism is the number one industry in the State of the Sun, generating more than $ 91 billion in 2018, and last year’s spring break was one of the first major victims of the pandemic when the U.S. entered strict confinement. Beaches across Florida were closing, but scenes of college students drinking, dancing and approaching without masks were still shared on social media.
Miami tourism officials say they lost billions of dollars during those three months last year.
DeSantis was criticized last year for failing to issue a state order to shut down beaches before the spring break crowds and concerns about the spread of the virus. Florida cases increased in late March and early April, with many of the revelers appearing on the news expressing regret for their actions.
Brady Sluder went viral last year for telling a local news team, “If I get corona, I get corona. At the end of the day, I won’t let that stop me from celebrating.” He later issued a long apology on his Instagram, urging others not to be “arrogant and to think that you are invincible like me”.
“I would like to sincerely apologize for the insensitive comment I made about COVID-19 during spring break,” wrote Sluder. “I was not aware of the seriousness of my actions and comments. I would like to take this moment to confess the mistakes I made and apologize to the people I have offended.”
Last month’s Super Bowl in Tampa Bay also drew concerns and criticism for possible high profile events as crowds gathered for parties in the area.
Officials said the sporting event itself was not an overcrowding, but that an increase in cases was probably caused by private meetings – at homes or unofficial events in bars and restaurants – that revolved around the Super Bowl, according to the Florida Department of Health report.
The statewide positivity rate between January 22 and February 24 was 7.3%, but the positivity rate was 7.9% 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 tracking efforts, Michael Wiese, chief epidemiologist in the county’s health department, 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,” said Wiese.
Florida reported more than 1.9 million coronavirus cases, with 32,828 coronavirus-related deaths on Sunday morning. About 11 percent of the state’s population has been vaccinated, according to data from NBC News.