Miami Police officials are adding additional resources to the MetroMover after at least two people were brutally attacked on the transit system in recent weeks.
Miami Police Chief Jorge Colina said Monday that the department was adding more uniformed and undercover officers to the MetroMover following the latest incident.
Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo Ramirez said his department was working with Miami Police and called the recent attacks "deeply concerning."
The most recent incident happened around 6 a.m. Sunday at the Adrienne Arsht Center MetroMover.
The victim, 73-year-old Eduardo Fernandez, was heading to work and on a car going from the Government Center Station to the Arsht Station when he was badly beaten by another man.
Fernandez was at Jackson Memorial Hospital Monday with a swollen eye, cuts to his head and other injuries.
Police are still searching for the suspect in that attack, which they said was unprovoked.
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There was a separate attack back on Sept. 4 that was caught on surveillance video.
The footage showed Andrea Puerta viciously assaulted, with a man repeatedly punching her and at one point throwing her against the side of the car.
Police arrested a suspect in that case, who they identified as 25-year-old Joshua King. He faces battery and aggravated battery charges.
"First two days I think I was in shock, I did not want to understand the situation and Labor Day is when I wake up and I saw my face in the mirror and said 'this is what happened to you,'" Puerta said, recalling the attack.
“The recent brutal attacks on our Metrorail/Metromover system, although unrelated, are deeply concerning. While I’m relieved that the first case resulted in arrest, we still need to identify the attacker in the second case," Ramirez said in a statement.
"We are appalled by the recent incidents and our heart goes out to the victims. Thanks to the immediate actions of our security guards, an arrest was made quickly after the incident on September 4. We are also working closely with MDPD and hope their investigation will lead to a prompt arrest of the individual involved in the assault that took place on September 20," the Miami-Dade Department of Transportation said in a statement. "The safety of our passengers and staff is always our top priority, and we take this type of incident very seriously. We are working day and night with MDPD and our security contractor to make sure all necessary measures are taken to help safeguard Miami-Dade Transit riders throughout the system."
“The Miami-Dade Police Department and City of Miami Police are working together to share real-time camera footage to be able to intervene quickly in the event of any future crimes," said Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez. "Our number one priority is the safety of our community. We will not tolerate violence anywhere, especially in our trusted transit system.”
Anyone with information is asked to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS.
