Man arrested, accused of attempted rape inside a Walmart in Miami-Dade, police say
A 28-year-old man from Miami Gardens was arrested on accusations that he attempted to rape a woman inside a Walmart in Miami-Dade County this weekend, police said.
Miami-Dade police say the woman was shopping inside the Walmart at 3200 Northwest 79th Street when Bredan Jarmal Harvey came up behind her, pulled up her dress and grabbed her butt.
When she turned around, he pushed her to the ground. The woman screamed for help as he “ripped off her underwear while grabbing her thighs and vagina,” according to Harvey’s arrest affidavit.
A shopper who saw the attack jumped on Harvey’s back to try and pull him off her and another shopper came to help, the report states. The two shoppers helped the woman “resist further attacks,” police said.
Video shared by @OnlyInDade’s social media accounts shows a man with his arms around the neck of another man (now identified as Harvey), pulling him away from the woman as other shoppers rush over to help.
Harvey was arrested on a charge of attempted sexual battery and invoked his right not to speak without an attorney present, the affidavit states. He’s represented by a public defender who declined to comment.
On Monday, Harvey appeared in bond court, where his bond was set at $50,000. He was also ordered to stay away from the victim and from the Walmart store.
“The safety of our associates and customers is among our top priorities,” Walmart said in a statement Tuesday afternoon. “We’re very disturbed to see something like this in our store and are grateful to those who intervened to stop the alleged attack and detain this man until police arrived. All other questions should be sent to local law enforcement.”
Investigators believe that there may be additional victims and are urging anyone who was victimized to contact the Sex Crimes Investigation Unit at 305-715-3300.
This story was originally published March 22, 2022 at 1:29 PM.
