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3 Miami Beach officers face felony charges in rough arrests

2020 Super Bowl - Day 3
Posted at 2:51 PM, Sep 23, 2021
and last updated 2021-09-23 16:51:12-04

MIAMI (AP) — Prosecutors say three Miami Beach police officers are now facing felony charges related to the rough arrests of two men at a South Beach hotel.

The Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office had initially charged five officers in August with misdemeanor battery charges.

On Thursday, State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle announced the upgraded charges for Officer Kevin Perez and Sgt. Jose Perez.

They're charged with third-degree felony battery.

Officer Javier Serrano is charged with official misconduct, which is a third-degree felony.

According to the Associated Press, Serrano and officers, Robert Sabater and David Rivas face misdemeanor battery charges.

Rundle said she would bring a judge the charges next week, the AP reported.

Surveillance video shows an officer chase 24-year-old Dalonta Crudup into the lobby of a South Beach hotel on July 26.

Bodycam video shows officers kicked a handcuffed Crudup multiple times.

The AP reported that Khalid Vaughn, 28, recorded Crudup’s arrest with a cellphone from about 12 feet away.

An officer instructs Vaughn to back away, which is seen in the footage when Sabater tackled him, who repeatedly punched him when he got to the floor.

Vaughn was also allegedly struck by Rivas and Serrano.