Bugle Miami

Police to Step Up Law Enforcement as Safety Concerns Grow on Miami Beach

Officials announced Tuesday that they will immediately step up law enforcement efforts after a man was shot and killed amid the spring break chaos on Miami Beach.

Officers responded around 9 p.m. Monday to the area of 6th Street and Ocean Court in an alleyway behind Ocean Drive, where they found bullet casings and blood on the street. Around 30 minutes later, they responded to the 2300 block of Pine Tree Drive and arrived to find a male victim with a gunshot wound, officials said.

Miami Beach Police Chief Richard Clements confirmed the two scenes were connected and identified the victim as 27-year-old Miami Beach resident Sowe Amadu.

In response to the recent violence and chaos among spring break crowds, Clements said the department will step up law enforcement presence — that will include officers from other agencies — starting Tuesday night and through the end of the week.

Clements also said they are ready to shut down the causeway as well as popular streets in the city’s entertainment district to mitigate traffic and crowds. Parking garages in the area will also close at 8 p.m.

“We will not stop and we will continue to make adjustments to our current plan,” Clements said.

Since Feb. 3, police have made 894 arrests, and 332 of them have been felonies. Fifty percent of the arrests have been of people from outside of Florida. In addition, police have impounded 78 firearms and issued over 5,000 traffic citations.

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