Miami Beach Police are investigating a man injured in a brawl outside a pizzeria.
Officials arrived at Mega Pizza at 865 Collins Avenue just after 1:00 a.m. on Saturday, where witnesses said 26-year-old Luis Carlos Herrera Quiroz had been attacked by a man and had a bloody nose.
According to a police report, Quiroz was walking down 9th Street with friends when they saw a group of five people standing outside the pizzeria. When Quiroz passed by, one of the male suspects got aggressive and hit him multiple times, resulting in a bloody nose.
Surveillance footage shows the moment the fight broke out.
One witness said she tried to stand between the male suspect and Quiroz, but then one of the female suspects grabbed her hair and threw her to the ground.
The Miami Beach Fire Department responded and treated Quiroz on the spot. He was later transported to Mount Sinai Hospital.
Quiroz says he was attacked because of his sexual orientation.
“I celebrated my friend’s birthday at a gay bar called Palace, then we went and I heard the mockery of these guys who treated me as the worst because of my sexual condition.”
He continued, “… when I tried to defend myself, five people beat me and left me unconscious on the floor.”
Quiroz says things escalated to violence when he was slapped in the face.
“Now I’m scared … I panic about going out on the streets and getting hit again … I live here in Miami, that makes me the angry and saddest … I work with my image, I’m a dancer and Zumba teacher, ”said Quiroz.
Quiroz says he has fractured facial and cerebral hemorrhages.
“Nobody should be surprised. We have a party district all night long. We have a 24-hour party district, ”said Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber.
Gelber, who is running for re-election, is among those calling for the call to be withdrawn at 2 a.m., a move he believes could curb crime in South Beach.
Voters will make their voices heard in a straw poll on Tuesday.
“Let’s get rid of all the night bars and just create a live work piece, a beautiful place,” said Gelber.
But the proposed rollback was met with opposition. A group called Citizens for a Safe Miami Beach, backed by large Miami Beach corporations, is committed to keeping the last call on at 5 a.m.
“We contribute hundreds of millions of dollars to the Miami Beach economy,” said one of the protesters.
NBC 6 reached out to the Miami Beach Police Department to inquire into the victim’s allegations regarding the target and whether they were being investigated and whether there were any arrests.
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