It’s Thursday, January 13th - and NBC 6 has the top stories for the day.
No. 1 - Three police officers with agencies in Miami-Dade County are facing battery and other charges from separate incidents, the State Attorney's Office announced Wednesday.
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle held a news conference Wednesday to announce the charges, which involve officers employed by Miami-Dade County, the City of Opa-locka, and the City of Miami Gardens. The three officers face charges of criminal battery, a first-degree misdemeanor. The State Attorney's Office said the arrests stem from three different investigations and are not directly connected to each other. Two of the incidents were captured on officer body cameras, Fernandez Rundle said.
No. 2 - A man has been arrested for allegedly shooting his gun at CityPlace in Doral over the weekend.
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Alex Arnaud, 32, of Homestead, faces charges of attempted felony murder, discharging a firearm in public and resisting an officer without violence, the Doral Police Department announced Wednesday. Doral Police responded to the shopping mall after 9 p.m. Sunday after calls of a shooting. Witnesses said a group of several men and women got into an altercation in the parking garage, during which Arnaud allegedly pulled out his gun and fired several times.
No. 3 - The family of a 7-year-old girl who was struck and killed while riding her bicycle near her Pembroke Pines school is "devastated," their attorney said Wednesday as police continue their investigation into the crash that claimed her life.
A police report said the white SUV that hit Sophia Gutierrez was driven by Nicholas Matthews, who was traveling westbound in the 13500 block of Northwest 10th Street. It was just after 2 p.m. on January 6th when kids were getting out of nearby Lakeside Elementary, where Gutierrez went to school, when the incident happened. A toxicology report showed that the 40-year-old Matthews was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the crash but had an undisclosed medical emergency and that's why he lost control of his SUV. But the family’s attorney believes there is more to the story. Click here for that report from NBC 6’s Claudia Docampo you’ll see Only on 6.
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No. 4 - Starting next month, workers at Universal Orlando's theme parks will have to be vaccinated or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing in order to comply with federal guidelines, company officials said Wednesday.
A majority of workers already are vaccinated. The new policy doesn't affect guests. Workers at Universal’s theme parks must be fully vaccinated by Feb. 9 or be required to take a test every week, Universal officials said in a statement. They said the company initially will provide free, onsite testing. Universal Orlando is owned by NBCUniversal, the parent company of WTVJ/NBC 6
No. 5 - Caffe Abbracci has been a staple in Coral Gables for 30 years. Much of the restaurant’s iconic magic is due to its owner, Nino Pernetti, who has been in the hospital for the past year fighting for his life.
The 76-year-old was infected with COVID-19 in December 2020 and hasn’t been back home since. His daughter Tatiana Pernetti says the virus caused lung issues and multiple infections. Pernetti got a tracheotomy in March and has been using a machine to help breathe since then. One year later, the family says there’s been some progress. Click here for the story from NBC 6 reporter Kim Wynne.
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No. 6 - So often we have heard the jokes about bad drivers in Florida, but one mother isn’t laughing after she says her son’s driving exam was too easy.
Miriam Barrios called NBC 6 Responds after she witnessed her 16-year-old son Armando pass his driving exam. Her son took the exam in a parking lot outside the Mall of the Americas, where a state licensing office operates. She said the examiner stood off to the side and called him on his cellphone to give him directions. The exam took less than five minutes. NBC 6 Responds watched other exams take place at the same parking lot where Barrios’ son took his exam. Click here for the report from NBC 6 consumer investigator Sasha Jones.
