Here are some of the top stories from the past week from NBC 6 News:
‘My Freedom Was Taken From Me': Mistaken Identity Lands Man in Jail for Days
The fugitive police were looking for had the same name as the man they cuffed, but it wasn’t him. Now law enforcement is pointing the finger at each other and no one is taking responsibility for the mistake.
“It wasn’t fun, it wasn’t a game,” Leonardo Silva Oliveira, who was wrongly arrested, told NBC 6 in his first television interview. “My freedom was taken from me for almost a week.”
Get South Florida local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC South Florida newsletters.
This Leonardo Silva Oliveira, who goes by Leo, is a 26-year-old cook at a steakhouse. The 26-year-old Leonardo Silva Oliveira police were looking for is a fugitive for a burglary case. The two have the same name, birth month and year, and resemble each other, which was enough for Coconut Creek Police to take the wrong Leo to jail. Click here for more in a report from NBC 6 investigator Heather Walker you'll see Only on 6.
Woman Claims Coconut Grove School Didn't Give Her Job Over Spanish Accent
Local
A Miami-Dade County Public School employee claims she was discriminated against when she applied for a full-time job because of her Spanish accent.
Miladis Barnes has been working as a custodian full-time at Carver Middle School in Coconut Grove for four years and also part-time as a security monitor for two years. Last Thursday, she applied for a new full-time job as a security monitor. She said the principal of the school denied her application because of her English language skills.
"Another person, because another person speaks perfect English and me not perfect English," she said. Now, Barnes' attorney has filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Click here for more in a report from NBC 6's Claudia DoCampo.
Robbery Suspects Followed Victim From Bank, Returned Next Day: Miami-Dade Police
A pair of armed robbery suspects accused of following their alleged victim after he made a bank withdrawal were arrested after they returned to the same bank the next day, Miami-Dade Police officials said.
Tyrese Lamar Blue, 20, and Larry Jahiem White, 19, were arrested Wednesday on armed robbery charges, police said. According to police, the 59-year-old victim had gone to the TD Bank at 9201 West Flagler Street Tuesday morning and withdrew $640 in cash before driving to a nearby laundromat.
Police said White had been inside the bank at the same time as the victim, and that White and Blue followed the victim to the laundromat. While the victim was sitting in his car outside the laundromat, Blue robbed him at gunpoint while White acted as a lookout, police said.
What to Expect at the 2022 Miami Marathon
The Miami Marathon is back with over 15,000 participants from across the world who will run through the streets of Miami on Sunday.
Runners will start at the FTX Arena and continue over the MacArthur Causeway to Ocean Drive through the art district and back around through Coconut Grove. The 2022 Miami Marathon will begin on Sunday, Feb. 6 at 5:55 a.m., but roads will begin closing sooner in preparation for the event.
Click here for a list of road closures throughout the city for the race.
South Florida Rent Spike Now Highest in Nation
Whatever you’re paying in rent, it’s likely going up if it hasn’t already.
“We’ve seen an absolute surge of the rental market,” said David Siddons, Executive Director of Luxury Sales in Miami at Douglas Elliman. Siddons added the price is being driven up by people moving from the northeast and California.
In a neighborhood like Brickell, a luxury two bedroom, two bath in 2020 would’ve gone for about $4,000 a month. Today, a similar unit like is upwards of $13,000. New data just released by Realtor.com revealed rent in South Florida rose about 50% compared to last year, the most of anywhere in the nation. Median rent is now $2,800 a month. Click here for more in a report from NBC 6's Cristian Benavides.
Here Are The Athletes Representing Florida At the 2022 Winter Olympics
Hundreds of athletes are getting a chance to do something many only dreamed of: represent Team USA at the 2022 Winter Olympics that take place once every four years.
With competitions in various sports like bobsledding, hockey and speedskating, nine athletes in Beijing this year have ties to the state of Florida and have a chance to bring home the gold medal. They may not be a large group, but each of the athletes from the Sunshine State have a mission this year and quite the story about going from sunshine and sand to ice and glory.
Click here for a look at the athletes from Florida representing Team USA in the 2022 Winter Olympics.
How to Watch the 2022 Winter Olympics on NBC and Peacock
NBCUniversal will present a Winter Olympics-record 2,800+ hours of coverage across NBC, Peacock, USA Network, CNBC, NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app when the XXIV Olympic Winter Games from Beijing, China, begin this February.
In a Winter Olympics first, but similar to its coverage of the Tokyo Olympics, NBCU provided unprecedented full-day coverage of the Opening Ceremony on Friday on NBC and Peacock. As with recent Winter Olympics, the NBC broadcast network will feature 18 nights of primetime coverage, which began on Thursday,
Click here for all the information you need for how to watch.
