5 Officers Charged In Forceful Arrest At Hotel: State Attorney

Miami FL

02 August, 2021

7:10 PM

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MIAMI BEACH, FL — Five members of the Miami Beach Police Department face charges related to a forceful arrest at a South Beach hotel July 26, Miami-Dade County State Attorney Kathy Rundle tweeted Monday afternoon. Sgt. Jose Perez and officers Kevin Perez, David Rivas, Robert Sabater and Steven Serrano have each been charged with one count of battery, a first-degree misdemeanor, she said. The five were suspended after the early morning arrest in the lobby of the Royal Palm South Beach hotel at 1545 Collins Ave. The officers initially took 24-year-old Dalonta Crudup into custody after he hit and injured an officer with his scooter and led them on a foot chase that ended in the hotel. Police also arrested Khalid Vaughn, who wasn't involved in the original incident with Crudup, in the hotel lobby, MBPD said in a news release issued after the incident. After reviewing video footage of Vaughn's arrest, the agency recommended to the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office that the charges against him be dropped and that he should be released. Police Chief Richard Clements expressed concerns about the force used by officers during Vaughn's arrest. "I reviewed the video footage regarding this incident, and I have serious concerns about the force utilized after Mr. Crudup was in custody, including the level of force utilized in the subsequent arrest of Mr. Vaughn," Clements said in a statement provided by MBPD. "This is not indictive of the hard-working men and women of the Miami Beach Police Department and will not be tolerated." The chief ordered an internal affairs investigation and relieved the four officers involved of duty until it's complete. He also asked the State Attorney's Office to review the incident. "I credit Chief Clements for swiftly recognizing the wrongs committed (and) bringing the matter to my attention," Rundle tweeted. After his arrest, Vaughn told Local 10 news that he was beaten up by police because he recorded Crudup's arrest in the hotel lobby. "I started recording it. They already got him in handcuffs. They beat him, turned around, charged me down, beat me," he said. "Punched me, elbowed me in the face." Patch has contacted the State Attorney's Office to request a copy of the video footage from the July 26 arrests.