Miami

Downtown Miami Residents Look to Police to Control Ruckus

Police said they have stepped up visibility in the area after recent incidents

NBC Universal, Inc.

Residents of Downtown Miami are growing tired of the ongoing disruptions happening in the neighborhood.

New video obtained by NBC 6 shows a man riding an ATV on the stairs of the FTX Arena as if it is his own obstacle course. At one point, he even gets off the ATV to wave at onlookers.

Neighbors say it is happening more and more often with incidents happening around 3 a.m.

“This cannot be tolerated,” said James Torres, President of the Downtown Neighbors Alliance.

Torres said this is a constant problem that continues to happen almost every weekend after midnight and police response is often too little, too late.

“The last issue that happened, there was an 18-minute lapse before anybody showed up,” Torres said.

Miami Police Commander Tony Regueira is also fed up.

“This person has no regard for their safety or safety of anyone else involved,” Regueira said.

He says in response to recent incidents, police have stepped up visibility in the area.

“We are implementing units every single day, especially on the weekends,” Regueira said.

In addition to more visibility, Miami police will be implementing license plate readers in an attempt to deter and identify suspects.

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