Bodycam footage exhibits arrest of man armed with knife and potential explosives in Miami Seashore – NBC 6 South Florida

Newly released body camera footage captured the moment when a man armed with a knife and threatening to set off a bomb was arrested in Miami Beach for allegedly head-butting an officer.

Saliya Siby, 46, is facing several charges, including aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer and having a bomb or destructive device.

Saliya Siby

The incident took place during a Jewish holiday on Saturday, and there was a heightened presence in certain areas as officers saw Siby acting out of the ordinary, police said.

According to police, Siby, who was dressed in camouflage clothing, flagged down an officer in the 500 block of 41st Street and asked about the bus schedule.

An arrest report said that the officer told Siby to back up to the sidewalk because he was standing on the street, which he refused to do.

Body camera video captured Siby arguing and threatening the officer.

“I am not [expletive] going nowhere, this is a bomb right here,” Siby said. “I’m going to [expletive] light you up, straight up.”

During the interaction, Siby was seen with a black object in his hand.

“Hey, man, what’s the matter?” an officer said. “Why don’t you put it down. Put it down on the ground. Drop what you have in your hand.”

Officers later identified the item as a potential explosive as it was labeled “the mother of all bombs.”

Emergency response crews arrived swiftly at the scene as Siby carried two black canisters with a lighter and then pulled out a yellow kitchen knife.

The body camera footage captured an officer trying to reason with Siby to further de-escalate the situation.

“Why do you have it in your hand? Why do you have it in your hand?” the officer said. “Put it away.”

“Because you’re police, you’re going to attack me,” Siby said.

“They are not going to attack you,” the officer said.

“Okay, they are going to shoot me,” Siby said.

“They are not going to shoot you,” the officer said.

A few moments later, an officer shot Siby with a beanbag shotgun four times.

“Taser, taser, taser,” the officer was heard saying. “Less lethal is not effective at this point. Hold, hold, hold.”

As they walked Siby to the police cruiser, he allegedly headbutted an officer who was holding him, but another officer stepped in to arrest him.

After Siby was taken into custody, an officer was heard on the body camera footage telling the officer who tried to calm the situation that he saved Siby’s life.

“This is a really, really good example of how this situation could have been deadly,” said Chris Bess with the Miami Beach Police Department. “Had we not possessed the training that police are mandated to take annually, this could have been a police-involved shooting or worse. This individual could have harmed an innocent member of the public.”

Miami Beach Police said the officer who was headbutted needed eight stitches to his left eyebrow.

No other injuries were reported.

During his court appearance on Sunday, a police officer revealed that Siby was previously arrested in December 2024 for allegedly impersonating an officer.

A judge decided to deny Siby’s bond. He remains at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.