Miami Beach declares a state of emergency and a curfew from midnight TONIGHT – as defiant Spring Breakers head back out to the bars after two fatal shootings
- Spring Break rages on in Miami Beach even after a shooting Friday night and early Sunday morning on the city’s main drag
- The incidents proved fatal to two men but that did not stop revelers from returning to the scene the next day to continue with their week of debauchery
- On Sunday, Miami Beach officials issued a state of emergency and a curfew following the deadly incidents
Miami Beach has declared a state of emergency and instituted a curfew from midnight tonight after two shootings over the weekend left two people dead.
The city announced the crackdown on Sunday morning which will ban revelers from being outdoors between 11.59pm Sunday and 6am Monday morning due to shootings and ‘excessively large and unruly crowds.’
There will be a similar curfew imposed beginning on Thursday and running through the weekend, until Monday, March 27, but that will be further discussed during a commission meeting on Monday.
It will be in place for an area of Miami Beach spanning from 23rd Street and Dade Boulevard to the north Government Cut to the south, Biscayne Bay to the west, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east.
There was no curfew Saturday night, following a fatal shooting, which occurred on Ocean Drive on Friday.
A second fatal shooting occurred in the early hours of Sunday morning, prompting the curfew.
Officers initially said the first shooting was an isolated incident during what had until that point been a peaceful week of celebration in the social district of the city.
An arrest was made following rounds of gunfire on South Beach’s main drag Friday night, which at the time was filled with Spring Breakers and closed to traffic because of St. Patrick’s Day.
Several blocks were cordoned off with yellow crime scene tape as police took one person into custody in connection with the incident – its remains unclear if they were the shooter
Gunfire erupted in an area of Miami Beach crowded with party goers enjoying booze-filled nights out for spring break. One person was killed and another wounded sending dozens scrambling for safety
College girls celebrate St Patrick’s Day on Panama City Beach, Florida, during their Spring Break
Crowds gather during spring break on Saturday, March 18, 2023, in Miami Beach, Florida
College students have invaded Florida’s beaches for Spring Break
One Spring Breaker drinks from a BORG – a ‘blackout rage gallon’
On Friday, one man was killed and another was injured as dozens scattered and ran for cover.
The injured man, initially reported to be in critical condition, has now reportedly been released from the hospital.
Four guns were recovered from the scene and the suspect was reportedly ‘cooperating fully.’ It was unclear if the suspect has been charged with the deadly shooting.
Early Sunday morning, a second shooting occurred also on Ocean Drive in South Beach, according to Miami Beach police.
A man was shot and died later at a hospital, and officers chased down a suspect on foot. Their identities were not released, nor were any possible charges.
On Sunday, the Miami Beach Police Department tweeted: ‘The identities of all parties cannot be released while the investigation is ongoing.’
‘Miami Beach Police Department’s staffing remains enhanced and supplemented with assistance from neighboring law enforcement agencies.’
But just one day after a deadly shooting disrupted Spring Break festivities in Miami Beach, revelers returned to the scene of the crime to continue partying on Ocean Drive.
Girls spending their Spring Break on Panama City Beach, Florida
This is the first time in three years that college students have been able to truly enjoy Spring Break without the threat of Covid restrictions – and their incessant partying proves that they are making the most of the new-found freedom
College boys flex their muscles as they pose on the beach in Florida
Groups of Spring Breakers huddled together as they partied the days away in Fort Lauderdale
One reveler, Ronny, 22, from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania told the Miami Herald that she had been just a few feet away from the the gunfire that erupted on Seventh Street and Ocean Drive.
‘No one is trying to be dodging bullets on vacation,’ she said as she returned to the scene of the crime to continue raging.
‘I’m always having fun regardless, but y’all have to chill with that shooting stuff,’ she said, adding that some of her peers are ‘down here trying to recreate ‘Scarface.’
Peter Sint, a 23-year-old from Miami-Dade was somewhat concerned about the possibility of more violence.
‘We’re going to play it by ear and see how drunk [the crowd gets],’ he told the outlet.
‘There’s a lot of people here, and I’m just thinking something’s about to happen at some point.’
Party On: Spring Breakers continued their revelry even after the deadly encounter Friday night
Miami Beach officials issued a state of emergency and a curfew that will begin Sunday night
The curfew was issued Sunday morning, following no curfew on Saturday
The crowds have been getting rowdy for days, as some students stage their own boxing matches on South Beach
A classy approach: One girl poses in a gorgeous oversized hat for a photo in front of the Miami Beach sign on her Spring Break adventure
A pair of Spring Breakers pose on Miami Beach, Florida
More than 100 spring breakers were gathered on the beach nearby where the shooting occurred one day later. Drinking, dancing and hanging out as Afro Beats and Billboard hits.
Footage of the Friday night shooting showed people diving for cover and running from several gunshots being fired. Several blocks were cordoned off with yellow crime scene tape.
The shooting is the second in many years during spring break on South Beach.
Last year, the city imposed a midnight curfew following two shootings also on Ocean Drive – the same was not imposed after this week’s shooting.
The year before that, there were about 1,000 arrests and dozens of guns confiscated during a rowdy spring break that led Miami Beach officials to take steps aimed at calming the situation.
Revelers get down and dirty on Spring Break in Fort Lauderdale
Two merry students – celebrating a break from their college semester took turns leaping on one another and fighting while the crowd around them jeered and screamed
Bikini-clad students flocked to the beach to enjoy the warm weather this Spring Break
Jeering frat boys stood in circles as bikini-clad women took turns tackling and taunting each other in one-on-one beach combat in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
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