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Crime Stats
Homicides Climbed by
One in 2006
“There were the two babies thrown off of the Loews Hotel.”
By Angie Hargot
A 33.33 percent
increase in Miami Beach’s 2006 homicide rate was attributed in large
part to a particularly bloody month of May.
There were four
homicides committed last year, compared to three in 2005.
Half of 2006’s
homicides occurred in the same tragic incident.
“There were the two
babies thrown off of the Loews Hotel,” said Detective Robert
Hernandez, spokesperson for the Miami Beach Police Department. “He
[the father]
committed suicide. That was half of the city’s murders.”
Hernandez referred
to the May 27 murder-suicide in which a vacationing
doctor, Edward Van Dyk, threw his two sons over the railing of his
15th floor suite at the
Loews
Miami Beach Hotel,
and then followed them.
Also in May was the
incident in which John Williams, a Mansion nightclub bouncer, was
killed on Washington Avenue on a Saturday morning while trying to
break up a fight. His shift had reportedly just ended.
Williams’ attacker
was apprehended, tried and is serving time, according to an MBPD
spokesperson. Police arrested Trevor Grant, a West Palm Beach chef,
for Williams’ murder, according to a May 25, 2006 SunPost
article.
But police are
still searching for a homeless man accused of beating another man to
death with a rock in September. While detectives believe they know
the perpetrator’s identity, “We’re still looking for him,” Hernandez
said.
Violent crime
overall in the city of Miami Beach decreased in 2006 by 5 percent
compared to the year before, the city’s Uniform Crime Report shows.
However, rapes increased by 30.64 percent in 2006 compared to ’05,
and aggravated assaults increased by .84 percent.
Robberies dropped
in 2006 compared to 2005 by 16.12 percent. Also down were burglaries
(6.22 percent), larcenies (5.7 percent) and auto thefts (12.69
percent).
In a Feb. 7 letter
to the City Commission, City Manager Jorge Gonzalez attributed the
overall decrease in Part I crimes (homicides, rapes, robberies,
aggravated assaults, burglaries, larcenies and auto thefts) to “the
partnership the Miami Beach Police Department has with the
community” and a “proactive approach” to policing.
The MBPD has sought
to increase the visibility of cops on the street by adding a fourth
shift to its bicycle patrol, an initiative known as a “Crime
Suppression Team.” It puts a detective on full-time “pawn shop
detail” to deter robbery-related activity. In addition, a “crime
solutions” crime-fighting program is intended to scrutinize the
accountability of police officers.
Last year also saw
a 26.59 percent increase in overall arrests in the city.
Comments? E-mail
angie@miamisunpost.com.
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