Top Miami Area Local News Stories
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<p> Sources identified the man who was shot and killed by police while biting off parts of another man's face near Downtown Miami on Saturday.</p><p> Police sources identified the man as Rudy Eugene.</p><p> Police said Eugene, 31, was found attacking another man near the west end of the MacArthur Causeway and Biscayne Boulevard on Saturday afternoon.</p><p> "When the officer approached him, told him to stop, pointed a gun at him, he turned around and growled like a wild animal and kept eating at the man's face," Fraternal Order of Police President Armando Aguilar said Sunday.</p><p> A witness said Eugene was biting off pieces of the other man's face and tossing them aside. He described it as looking like a scene out of The Walking Dead.</p><p> Police then shot and killed Eugene after attempting to stop the assault.</p><p> It's unclear what sparked the fight. </p><p> Aguilar said Eugene had likely overdosed, citing four past instances in Miami-Dade County when people overdosed on a type of LSD, removed their clothes, and became violent.</p><p> "It causes them to go completely insane and become very violent," said Aguilar.</p><p> The victim, a homeless man who frequents the same area where he was nearly killed, is listed in critical condition at Jackson Memorial Hospital.</p><p> Aguilar said 75 to 80 percent of the victim's face was missing.</p><p> Both men have had prior run-ins with law enforcement. Miami-Dade court records for both show both men have been arrested for mostly a handful of misdemeanors.</p><p> Who is Rudy Eugene?</p><p> Eugene was previously married. He met his now ex-wife in high school at North Miami Beach Senior High.</p><p> Their marriage was short-lived, lasting a year and a half.</p><p> "I wouldn't say he had mental problem but he always felt like people was against him type of attitude. No one was for him, everyone was against him," said Eugene's ex-wife.</p><p> The two filed for divorce in 2007 during a violent point in their relationship.</p><p> The woman told Local 10's Terrell Forney that Eugene became increasingly violent toward her. </p><p> "That's why I left," said Eugene's ex-wife. </p><p> The two had not spoken in three or four years.</p><p> A woman who answered the door at Eugene's former North Miami Beach home told Local 10 that the prior family had lost the 1-story house to foreclosure in 2011. </p><p> However, Eugene would often pop up to the home unannounced, often looking for mail, which made the new family uncomfortable.</p><p> "He kind of looked weird a little bit but other than that I said as long as I've got bats and got the alarm system put up, I was okay," said the woman.</p>
Published: Mon, 28 May 2012 23:27:23 GMT
<p> An 11 year old is recovering after falling from a rock wall at Marlins Park on Saturday.</p><p> When Jeff Davis watched his daughter make her way to the top of the rock climbing wall at Marlins Park, he wasn't nervous. </p><p> After all, she was wearing a harness. </p><p> "Go, sweetie, go!" he shouted as he recorded video of his daughter on his cell phone.</p><p> But as Emily Davis tried to make her way down, an afternoon of family fun turned into the most terrifying moments of this parent's life. The 11 year old fell 18 feet and landed on concrete. </p><p> "You know the position you're in to do crunches? That's how she hit her head, just went whack," said Davis.</p><p> As Jeff ran to his daughter's side, he says she was motionless for about 10 seconds and then suddenly, "she starts gasping and gurgling and I'm like, 'She's alive, she's alive.'"</p><p> The Marlins issued a statement, reading: "The rock climbing wall was closed immediately following the incident Saturday, and the matter is under investigation to determine what caused the accident."</p><p> But outside Jackson Memorial Hospital, where Emily is recuperating, the exhausted parent said the rock climbing wall's harness should've been tested.</p><p> "I have a long list of people I'm upset with," said Davis.</p><p> Emily Davis is expected to be okay.</p>
Published: Mon, 28 May 2012 22:53:56 GMT
<p> Tropical Depression Beryl continues to bring rain to northeastern Florida and southeastern Georgia.</p><p> It made landfall in northeast Florida late Sunday.</p><p> At 5 p.m. Monday, Beryl was about 10 miles east of Valdosta, Georgia, and about 150 miles southwest of Savannah, Georgia, with maximum sustained winds near 30 mph.</p><p> All tropical storm warnings have been discontinued at this point.</p><p> Governor Rick Scott visited Jacksonville on Monday to see the damage firsthand.</p><p> VIEWER PHOTOS: Storms in S. Fla. | Stormy Sunday| 10 deadliest U.S. hurricanes</p><p>Hurricane HeadquartersJustWeather.com Tropical UpdatesDOWNLOAD: 2012 Hurricane Survival Guide </p><p> Beryl was moving north-northwest at about 5 mph. A turn to the northeast with an increase in forward speed was expected to begin Tuesday.</p><p> Forecasters say the change in direction will bring Beryl over the southern parts of Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina in the next 48 hours.</p><p> Beryl is expected to bring up to 8 inches of rain to some areas.</p><p> For Tropical Updates 24-hours a day and a look at how Beryl will affect our local weather, visit JustWeather.com.</p>
Published: Mon, 28 May 2012 21:17:32 GMT
<p> The Celtics have long been that tough, veteran team that could give the Miami Heat trouble in the playoffs. </p><p> They did it two seasons ago by eliminating Miami from the postseason, but Dwyane Wade was alone on that team. </p><p> Last year, the men in green were expected to give the Heat a challenge. Of course, with LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Wade leading the way, they didn't. Miami took out the Celtics in five games.</p><p> Now, the two teams are meeting for the third straight year in the playoffs. That means Boston is three years older, and that age is beginning to show.</p><p> Yes, Rajon Rondo is still in his prime and one of the most dynamic point guards in the NBA, but Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett are all showing signs of age. </p><p> Allen and Pierce have been banged up and inconsistent, and Garnett, while still productive, has become a jump shooting big man.</p><p> Simply put, they just don't have the energy to keep up at the high pace I expect from Wade and LeBron. It's that intensity that even a much younger and active Pacers team couldn't keep up with last round.</p><p> Boston catches a break with the Heat missing Chris Bosh. Bosh is very doubtful to see any action in this series while recovering from an abdominal strain. </p><p> But, as the dynamic duo proved against Indiana, the Heat can rely on Wade and LeBron to get it done, as long as a third option does something. </p><p> Whether Mike Miller, Shane Battier, or Udonis Haslem, the Heat just needs a little bit to help out the two superstars. I think they'll get that again in this series.</p><p> If Miami had Bosh, I'd say the Heat in five games, just like last season. With Bosh missing, I wouldn't be surprised if the Celtics stretched it to six games.</p><p> In the end, it won't matter. The Heat will advance to the NBA finals for the second straight year. </p><p> Heat in six games. Enjoy the action.</p>
Published: Mon, 28 May 2012 23:34:46 GMT
<p> Urban Beach Weekend came to a close on Monday as Miami Beach police release arrest numbers from the weekend.</p><p> Miami Beach police said, as of Monday evening, there were 321 arrests for mostly minor violations.</p><p> Police credited the lower number of arrests with restricting roadways, running license plates tags on cars entering the beach, and instituting random DUI checks.</p><p> "It's a great thing when the plan comes together like that," said Police Chief Ray Martinez</p><p> Last week, police were criticized for a reported arrest quota, which Martinez denied.</p><p> Residents and tourists said the event seemed more under control compared to last year.</p>
Published: Mon, 28 May 2012 21:40:49 GMT
<p> The parents of Vilet Torrez, the Miramar woman missing since March 30, have been told they will no longer have temporary custody of their daughter's three children.</p><p> The news came from the Florida Attorney General's Office.</p><p> "I think it's absurd," said Javier Blanco, Vilet's brother. "Nobody has ever communicated anything to the family and I think we deserve a little bit more than that - at least out of professional courtesy."</p><p> The family received a knock on the door from a Department of Children and Families representative Saturday. She came to pick up the two boys and a girl and deliver them to their father, Vilet's estranged husband Cid Torrez. </p><p> But, without a court order signed by the judge, the family decided not to hand over the children. </p><p> "How can you just tell us that without some legal documentation that tells us this is what is supposed to happen," said Nayiva Blanco, Vilet's sister. "You can't just show up at a door and the next day and expect for us to just hand you over three children. You have to give us some proof."</p><p> The Attorney General's Office rejected the Department of Children and Families' request to leave the children with their grandparents. Their father has been named a person of interest by the police in the investigation of his wife and had reportedly threatened to harm himself soon after Vilet's disappearance.</p><p> When and if they receive an order from the court, the Blanco's say they will do what they are instructed.</p><p> "If what we think happened happened, then the kids are in grave danger and I think the state of Florida at the very least should have made a case, should have made an argument, the blood of three children is going to be on the state of Florida on their hands," said Javier Blanco.</p><p> Torrez's attorney, Richard Della Fera, said the family is acting in defiance of lawful process, issuing this statement: “Cid has had a tough struggle since his wife, Vilet, disappeared nearly two months ago. He is extremely grateful that he will now be happily reunited with his children.”</p><p> The family expects an order from the court within the next few days.</p>
Published: Mon, 28 May 2012 22:56:03 GMT
<p> Officers in Southwest Miami-Dade are investigating a police-involved shooting that sent one person to the hospital early Monday morning.</p><p> It happened at SW 72nd St. and 160th Ave.</p><p> According to police, a man was walking down the street when an officer spotted a shiny object coming out of his waistband. Thinking it may be a weapon, the officer asked him what it was. Police said the man then reached for the object in his waistband, at which point the officer shot him.</p><p> The shiny object the officer saw was not a gun but a baseball bat, investigators say.</p><p> The man was taken to Kendall Regional Hospital. He is listed in stable but critical condition.</p><p> The east and westbound lanes at SW 72nd St. were shut down while police continued their investigation.</p>
Published: Mon, 28 May 2012 21:14:50 GMT
<p> It's almost the beginning of summer and you know what that means: Swim season is here. But beware. No matter how clean they may look, public pools could have nasty germs lurking in the water causing them to be more like public bathrooms.</p><p> A recent survey conducted by the Water Quality and Health Council found one in five Americans admit to using a public pool for quick relief (urinating) and seven in 10 confessed to skipping a shower before going for a swim.</p><p> According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a pre-swim shower removes sweat, cosmetics and other dirt that could mix with chlorine to create irritants in pool water.</p><p> Michele Hlavsa, chief of the CDC's Healthy Swimming Program, said, "These irritants, not the chlorine itself, cause red eyes when we swim and the strong chemical smell of some pools."</p><p> How can this contamination be avoided? Make sure you shower with soap and water before you jump in the water. Take small children on frequent bathroom breaks. And make sure you have a lifeguard or operator who frequently makes sure the pH and chlorine levels in the pool are up to standard. Proper levels help keep pools healthy by destroying waterborne germs that can cause diarrhea, swimmer's ear and skin infections.</p><p> "Swimming is not a substitute for bathing. Too many people unknowingly treat the pool as a communal bathtub," said Dr. Chris Wiant, chair of the Water Quality and Health Council. "It may seem counterintuitive, but it's important to shower before you jump in the pool to help keep swimming healthy for everyone in the pool."</p><p> If you are still leery of pool germs, the Water Quality and Health Council is providing free pool test strips this summer so swimmers can check the pH and chlorine levels in their public pools. You can request them here.</p><p> Last summer, the Water Quality and Health Council mailed more than 32,000 free pool test strips to swimmers. Data submitted by swimmers across the nation last summer showed that 54% of pools tested had unacceptable chlorine levels and 47% had inappropriate pH levels.</p><p> If you'd like more information, visit the CDC's website for tips on healthy pools.</p>
Published: Mon, 28 May 2012 18:00:10 GMT
The Best of the Best Concert drew thousands of hip hop fans to downtown Miami on Sunday. Photos taken by Local 10 photographer Ishmael Louis.
Published: Mon, 28 May 2012 23:07:59 GMT
<p> As the nation remembers the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military, thousands of people will flock to South Florida during Memorial Day Weekend.</p><p> This holiday was not always known as "Memorial Day." From 1938 to 1954, it was known as, "Armistice Day," a day created to honor veterans of World War I and to stress the need for world peace. </p><p> After World War II, "Armistice Day" was changed to "Memorial Day" in order to honor veterans of all wars, not just World War I.</p><p> Let's take advantage of this weekend to show the pride and appreciation we feel for all of our veterans. </p><p> Get involved -- walk in a parade, attend a ceremony, bow in silence or teach your kids about Memorial Day's history.</p><p> Events: Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach</p><p> VIDEO: Hot Happenings</p><p> Safety Tips: 5 things to keep in mind</p><p> Miami Beach: Preparing for Memorial Day Weekend</p><p> Miami Beach info: Road closures, police regulations</p><p> Weekend Forecast: JustWeather.com</p><p> Boating information</p><p> PHOTOS: Memorial Day in Pictures</p>
Published: Fri, 25 May 2012 21:56:31 GMT
Many celebrities have served in the military over the years. Take a look at who served in what branch.
Published: Mon, 28 May 2012 06:00:00 GMT
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