Charges Dropped for 2 Miami Beach Police Officers Accused of Beating Tourist in 2021 – NBC 6 South Florida

Two of five officers charged in connection with the beating a tourist inside a Miami Beach hotel in a 2021 incident that was caught on camera are no longer facing charges.

On Thursday, Miami Beach Officer David Rivas stepped out of a courtroom with a smile on his face after Judge Betsy Alvarez-Zane dropped his misdemeanor battery charge.

The Miami-Dade State Attorney’s office believed Rivas should have faced criminal punishment after several officers were caught on body camera and hotel video surveillance making a pair of rough arrests during the July 26, 2021 incident at the Royal Palm Hotel.

However, the judge argued there was not enough evidence for Rivas to be criminally charged.

This ruling happened a week after the same judge dropped Officer Robert Sabater’s battery charge for the same reason.

Rivas, Sabater, and fellow officers Kevin Perez, Steven Serrano, and Jose Perez were all criminally charged.

Jose Perez pleaded guilty. Kevin Perez was found guilty by a jury and is hoping to get a new trial. Serrano is hoping his charges will also be dismissed.

A man testified about the moments cops beat him in Miami Beach. NBC 6’s Christian Colón reports

State Attorney’s Office plans to appeal both dismissals.

Footage showed multiple officers kicking a handcuffed suspect and repeatedly punching another man who was filming the first man’s arrest on his cellphone.

The incident began when officials said officers approached a man for parking a scooter illegally, and the man fled and struck an officer with the scooter. The officer had to be hospitalized with a leg injury that required crutches.

The man then ran into a hotel lobby, where he was taken into custody.