4 Miami-Dade cops reassigned after video goes viral of melee between cops and 4 men
Four Miami-Dade police officers were reassigned after a traffic stop turned into a brawl that led to four arrests. Videos of the arrests went viral with commenters claiming police brutality. The police union, however, says the officers’ actions didn’t warrant discipline.
The videos, shot by a bystander and seen several thousands of times on social media, show more than six Miami-Dade officers trying to detain a man outside a store in the Goulds neighborhood in south Miami-Dade early Friday morning as people crowd around screaming.
Officers throw punches at the man as he resists their attempts of arresting him, the video posted on Only in Dade showed. At one point during the melee, someone dropped a gun and an officer retrieved it. It wasn’t clear whose gun it was.
Among thousands of comments posted on social media, some praised the officers for trying to arrest the man and others said they used too much force.
Steadman Stahl, president of Miami-Dade’s Police Benevolent Association, said he saw nothing egregious in the video to warrant any type of discipline. He said the officers were reassigned to desk duty while the incident is probed because it was plastered all over social media.
“Look at South Beach. If it weren’t all over the nation, there probably wouldn’t be a curfew,” Stahl said. “When someone doesn’t want to go to jail, it can get ugly. We fully support the officers and don’t see anything coming out of this can lead to discipline.”
Miami-Dade police released a statement saying, “In our continued efforts of full transparency, we immediately initiated an internal affairs investigation into the matter with our Professional Compliance Bureau. The officers involved have been reassigned to administrative duties. We will continually evaluate this case, as the internal affairs process continues.”
Miami-Dade County Commissioner Kionne L. McGhee, who represents south Miami-Dade, issued a statement Friday night: “Videos of the arrests have sparked major concerns within our community. While we continue to gather information involving this matter, please note the following steps have been taken or will take place:
▪ Internal Affairs investigation.
▪ The officers involved were reassigned to administrative duties, pending the investigation; and
▪ All individuals involved will have an opportunity to be heard.
Charges of the four men
The tussle spawned from a traffic stop. Several police arrest reports depict a scene of chaos as officers try to make arrests, members of a surrounding crowd get involved and three firearms were later seized.
Police arrested four men: Javaris Swanson, 29; Quinton Price Charles, 19; Ahmed Wadi, 48; and Ramzi Wadi, 19.
Swanson was charged with possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, resisting an officer without violence and reckless driving. He also had a 2021 arrest warrant on charges of selling/delivering cocaine, battery against an officer/corrections officer/firefighter, and resisting an officer with violence.
Charles was charged with possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, resisting an officer with violence, cannabis possession and resisting an officer without violence.
Ahmed Wadi was charged with resisting an officer with violence, battery against an officer and displaying a firearm while committing a felony. Ramzi Wadi, Ahmed’s son, was charged with petit theft, resisting an officer with violence and battery against an officer.
Started with a traffic stop
Shortly after midnight Thursday — 12:04 a.m. Friday — officers A. Aguiar and E. Gonzalez, part of MDPD’s South District’s Violent Crimes team, saw a Blue Honda Accord run through two stop signs on Old Cutler Road and drive into an open field off Southwest 111th Avenue, the arrest report read.
The officers followed the car into a strip center parking lot at 22339 SW 112th Ave., and turned on their lights and sirens. There were several cars and people in the lot.
“Due to the driver operating the vehicle with a willful and wanton disregard for persons and property, this unit then activated their emergency equipment (light and sirens) and conducted a traffic stop,” the arrest report read.
The driver, Swanson, and passenger, Charles, stepped out of the car without officers telling them to do so. A woman was in the back seat and police asked her to get out of the car. She did.
A later search of the car found a loaded handgun in the glove compartment.
The officers told Swanson and Charles to get back in the car but they didn’t, the report says. With the two men and the woman in front of the police car, officers started asking for ID.
Swanson was hesitant to give Detective Aguiar his ID, ultimately not doing so, and then began pacing, police said. Aguiar told him to stop.
Meanwhile, Detective Gonzalez was telling Charles to return to his car, but police say he became “visibly agitated” and began walking away from the car. At this point, Gonzalez tried to arrest him.
Police described Charles as resisting arrest, saying he tensed his arms and pulled his body away. Charles was eventually arrested and sat on the ground.
Concern over gun inside the car
After that, the woman tried to get back into the car. Gonzalez ran up to her telling her to stop due to an “officer safety concern due to the possibility of firearms inside the vehicle,” the report read.
Police say Charles again became “highly agitated,” stood and “aggressively” approached Gonzalez. A struggle ensued as Gonzalez tried to get Charles on the ground. As Charles flailed against Gonzalez, the officer was pushed to the hood of his police car, the report said.
As the tussle continued, Charles got on top of Gonzalez while he was on the hood. Police eventually got Charles into the police car, the report said.
The report does not indicate whether Charles was handcuffed.
Backup officers J. Marcano and B. Guillen arrived due to a “large, unruly crowd forming,” police said.
Meanwhile, Swanson ran off. Guillen and Aguiar ran after him, and a struggle ensued when they caught him.
While the two officers were trying to control Swanson, who after a “lengthy struggle” was put in handcuffs, police said, Ramzi Wadi grabbed Guillen from the back and took his body-worn camera, which had fallen on the ground, police said.
Marcano grabbed Ramzi Wadi’s wrists and Ramzi pushed him away, the arrest report read. Wadi then swung at Marcano’s face, missing. Three officers arrested Wadi.
As Marcano was trying to arrest Ramzi Wadi, his father — Ahmed Wadi — pushed Marcano and said, “What are you doing with my son?” the report read.
While officers were trying to arrest Ahmed, they saw a gun in his right pocket. After a “short struggle,” he was arrested too.
The woman was not arrested.
This story was originally published March 26, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
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