He wore Kevlar, had a long rifle and used a machete to destroy fire alarms, cops say
It was stressful enough at the Sunset Harbour apartment building the week Hurricane Irma came ashore. But five days after the storm made landfall, the ear-splitting sound of a constantly ringing fire alarm at the Miami Beach condo was too much for 10th-floor resident Erik Agazim, police said.
So, armed with a machete and a long rifle and wearing a Kevlar helmet, Agazim, 40, marched past several residents in a common area, then “systematically and maliciously” used his machete to destroy and hack up 11 fire alarms, police said.
Total value of the destroyed devices: $3,850.
“There are several instances when residents of Sunset Harbour encountered the defendant holding these weapons,” a Miami Beach police officer wrote on Agazim’s arrest affidavit. “Additionally, the defendant was wearing a tactical vest and a Kevlar helmet with a flashing light.”
Agazim was arrested on Sept. 22, a week after the alleged incident. Miami Beach police said they viewed video surveillance that shows Agazim armed and walking through the common area of the condo at 1800 Purdy Ave. He’s facing charges of criminal mischief, destroying fire alarms and openly carrying a weapon.
Agazim’s attorney Sam Rabin tells a different story. Rabin called it a silly squabble among neighbors and said there is nothing illegal about carrying weapons. He also placed doubt on the police department’s claim that his client hacked up 11 fire alarms.
“The root of this dispute is his neighbors don’t like him and want him out of the building,” Rabin said. “I don’t know why.”
The arrest could be troublesome for Agazim, who state records show runs a company called National Police Equipment Exchange. The company’s website says NPEE supplies ammunition to law enforcement agencies and is one of the leading manufacturers of lead-free ammo in the U.S. It also claims to have created the world’s first zinc projectile.
State records show Agazim stores his equipment in a Hialeah warehouse. In January, Miami-Dade County records show, NPEE bid on a contract to supply the largest police force in the southeastern U.S. with ammunition. It wasn’t clear Monday if the bid was successful.
Though Agazim’s company supplies ammunition to the Miami Police Department, it wasn’t immediately clear if NPEE supplied any other local policing agencies. The company makes and distributes ammo to police departments under the name “National Police Ammunition.”
Residents of the luxury condo on the island’s west end and just north of the Purdy Lounge told police they saw Agazim patrolling the building in his vest, helmet and carrying a rifle. In his arrest affidavit, police said they saw the same thing on the surveillance video. The police report did not say if Agazim was seen destroying the property.
A few weeks ago, Agazim pleaded not guilty in an episode that largely escaped public notice. His next court date is Oct. 23.
This story was originally published October 16, 2017 at 3:38 PM with the headline "He wore Kevlar, had a long rifle and used a machete to destroy fire alarms, cops say."