Latest news with #BayfrontPark
CBS News
5 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Driver shot by police after officer lands on hood appears in bond court from ICU
A man seen in a viral cell phone video driving near Bayfront Park with a Miami police officer on the hood of his car appeared in bond court Wednesday morning, from a hospital bed in the intensive care unit at Jackson Memorial Hospital. Melenek Clarke, 21, who remains hospitalized after being shot by police, is facing several charges, including aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer. Defense: "Lucky to be alive" after shooting "My client was shot in the right arm into the chest cavity. He has a collapsed lung. The bullet exited his back," said Clarke's attorney, Michael Orenstein. "OK, guess he is lucky to be alive," responded Judge Mindy Glazer. Clarke was behind the wheel of the vehicle when, according to the arrest report read by Judge Glazer, the officer attempted to direct him while he was trying to park. "He's trying to park, and the officer is directing traffic, and he didn't stop. The officer tried to stop him — the officer then wound up on the hood, but your client didn't stop," said Judge Glazer. Police say officer was forced to fire Police say the officer was forced to open fire, striking Clarke multiple times. Clarke eventually stopped the vehicle, got out, and surrendered. He was then rushed to the hospital, where he remains under medical care. Despite the serious nature of the charges, the judge denied a state motion for pre-trial detention. "Technically, there is probable cause for aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, since it alleges here the officer was struck by the vehicle, and the vehicle is what makes it aggravated on this case," said Glazer. "I am going to deny the state's motion for a pre-trial detention." Glazer did grant Clarke bond. Attorney questions officer's use of force Orenstein told CBS News reporter Marybel Rodriguez that the defense team is still reviewing the case and does not yet have all the details. However, he said that what he saw in the video appeared to be an excessive use of force. "We're still investigating the case," he said. "But from what I saw in the video, it seems to be excessive force from law enforcement and an excessive violent response to an interaction with a citizen." Prior charges in Broward County Records show Clarke also has an open case in Broward County for aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and resisting an officer with violence.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Yahoo
Driver didn't mean to hit officer outside Miami music festival, sister says
Details about an officer-involved shooting remained scant Monday, but the 21-year-old man who was shot by a Miami police officer outside of Bayfront Park on Sunday is expected to survive, according to his lawyer. Hollywood attorney Michael Orenstein said his client, Menelek Emmanuel Clarke, was recovering at Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center, though he had not had the chance to speak directly with Clarke about the incident as of Monday evening. 'I don't know much about details at all yet,' he said. The Miami Police Department said Sunday that a 21-year-old driver hit an officer who was directing traffic outside of Bayfront Park, where the Caribbean music festival Best of the Best was taking place. The officer then shot the driver, and the 21-year-old was hospitalized with multiple gunshot wounds. READ MORE: Police officer shot driver outside music festival in Miami's Bayfront Park: officials A Miami Police Department spokesperson said Monday that 'no further details will be provided as this remains an ongoing investigation' by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It is unclear if the driver will face any charges. Orenstein is representing Clarke in an unrelated case in Broward County, where Clarke was charged with aggravated assault on an officer, resisting an officer with violence and armed trespassing. The charges stem from an incident in October 2023 in which Broward deputies said Clarke, then 19, brandished a gun after being told by a deputy to leave a Lauderhill park. Clarke has pleaded not guilty. Clarke's sister Sherylann Clarke told Miami Herald news partner CBS Miami that she was in the car with her brother on Sunday and that her brother was trying to drive around the Miami police officer, not toward him. She said the officer had signaled with his hands that drivers in the area should pull forward but that the officer had then moved in front of their car. 'It wasn't intentional to hit him, no,' she told CBS Miami. The incident caused festivalgoers to run for safety before it became clear what happened. Photographer Kemal Limon told the Herald he was leaving Bayside Marketplace that night when he saw a large crowd of people running away from Bayfront Park. 'I was walking by and saw people running,' he said. 'It was like chaos.' Limon noticed people stopped running once more police cars arrived, as there didn't seem to be an active threat. As a downtown Miami resident, Limon said he is prepared to see anything. 'This is Miami,' he said. 'Anything can happen. I wasn't surprised.' An employee at the nearby Yve Hotel told the Herald that many of its guests were staying there to attend the festival across the street. While he didn't hear the shooting, he saw the high amount of police activity that followed. It wasn't until Monday that he learned from the news what had happened. City editor Jessica Lipscomb contributed reporting.
