A man who videoed a guns-blazing Miami cop shoot-em-up that hit four innocent bystanders was dragged out of his car by the officers. The police pointed their weapons at the photographer and his girlfriend, then smashed his cameraphone. Luckily, the man saved his memory card and the video. They also confiscated a news-crew's camera.
On Thursday, The Miami Herald spoke to the couple that saw the end of the 4 a.m. police chase on Collins Avenue, then watched and filmed from just a few feet away as a dozen officers fired their guns repeatedly into Raymond Herisse's blue Hyundai. They say the only reason they were able to show the video to a reporter is because they hid a memory card after police allegedly pointed guns at their heads, threw them to the ground and smashed the cell phone that took the video…
Shortly after the gunfire ends, an officer points at Benoit and police can be heard yelling for him to turn off the camera. The voices are muffled at times. The 35-year-old car stereo technician drops his hand with the camera and hurries back to his Ford Expedition parked further east on 13th Street…
"They put guns to our heads and threw us on the ground," Davis said.
Benoit said a Miami Beach officer grabbed his cell phone, said "You want to be [expletive] Paparazzi?" and stomped on his phone before placing him in handcuffs and shoving the crunched phone in Benoit's back pocket. He said the couple joined other witnesses already in cuffs and being watched by officers, who were on the lookout for two passengers who, police believe at the time, had bailed out of Herisse's car. It is still not known whether any passengers were in the car.
Witness releases new video of fatal police-involved shooting during Urban Beach Week
