Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber: 'Our City Is Outraged' At Violent Weekend That Saw People Robbed, Shot
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Miami Beach police and city leaders say they are cracking down on crime and beefing up enforcement.
In a news conference Monday, Mayor Dan Gelber says this past weekend was the latest in an unfortunate trend in violence in the city.
"Our city is outraged," he says. "What we saw this weekend and, frankly, what we've been seeing for a while now is well beyond unacceptable."
The weekend began with several tourists being held up at gunpoint Friday, in broad daylight.
It ended with a separate incident Sunday night, when shots were fired on a busy Washington Avenue. Two men and a woman were injured in the shooting.
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The mayor says they are taking action.
"We are going to have dozens of more police officers enforcing every ordinance we have. All the signs coming in here will let people know they are going to be arrested if they misbehave," he says.
In that news conference, Miami Beach PD identified the suspected gunman from Sunday night as 24-year-old Keshawn McLean, telling the public to be on the lookout.
Meantime, Chief Richard Clements says he's making changes to provide better security.
"We will be looking for different staffing plans and staffing components for our patrol division and our police department to see if we can go ahead and enhance their performance, in terms of being in all places at all times, as best as we can, in order to deal with the expectations our residents have," says Clements. "They deserve the right to be safe here and it's our job to make that happen, and, quite frankly, people like this walking around don't make it safe. We need to do a better job, and we're going to do a better job."
He also expressed frustration with people visiting who treat Miami Beach like a free-for-all.
"I think we have to change the narrative that's out there that's coming from people all over the country that when you come down here, anything and everything goes. Not anymore," Chief Clements says. "I think the men and women of the Miami Beach Police Department are tired of it. They're tired from the attitudes that they're getting when they go out there and try to keep, for lack of a better term, a lid on things. More importantly, they're stressed every Friday, Saturday and Sunday night about having to go out there and do the same thing over and over and over again."
Mayor Gelber says they will also be working on an enforcement plan for bars and restaurants with the upcoming spring break.
If you know Keshawn McLean or know where he is, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-TIPS (8477) or contact them online at crimestoppersmiami.com.