MIAMI, FL (MIAMI-DADE COUNTY) - A news report on foxnews.com states that the Miami Police Department made an arrest in connection with an incident where the suspect allegedly kidnapped, sexually assaulted, and attempted to murder a 12-year-old boy. The young boy remains hospitalized and is listed in stable medical condition. The suspect, a 43-year-old man, was taken into police custody at approximately 3 AM on Tuesday. The Miami-Dade Police Department stated in a news release that the suspect was arrested only days after the attack.
According to Miami Police, the 12-year-old snuck out of his house at around midnight and walked three miles to visit a friend's house in the city. On the boy's way home, he was cornered by an unknown man who was driving a black four-door car in the Brownsville community.
The suspect allegedly grabbed the boy and forced the boy into his car. The suspect then drove the boy a short distance and then put the boy in his car's back seat and sexually assaulting the child. A struggle happened after the sexual assault, and the suspect allegedly shot the boy in the face.
Detective Adalberto Fuentes stated in a Monday video published on the Miami Police Department's social media pages, the victim is very lucky to be alive. The bullet entered the boy's jaw and then exited the boy's head. The detective stated that if the bullet moved in any other direction by a couple of inches, he would have died. The suspect then pushed the victim out of his car and dumped the child on the road before fleeing the scene.
According to investigators, the victim, realizing that he had been shot in the face and was not able to see, shouted for help. A good Samaritan on a bicycle arrived and took the boy to a store and called the Miami police.
The Good Samaritan said that the boy was walking down the street screaming for help, and he was covered in blood. When the man asked the boy what happened, the boy stated that he had been raped.
The Miami police video also displayed pictures of the bloodied boy appearing at the store beside the Good Samaritan. The boy is seen walking, keeping his hands out in front of him, and then lying on the sidewalk clutching his head. The detective stated that the boy is in stable medical condition but is still in pain.
The defendant is facing several criminal charges, including sexual battery with a deadly weapon, attempted felony murder, and kidnapping a child under 13. The arrest happens as the Miami metro is enduring a wave of crime during spring break.
Miami Police have already made over 1,000 arrests and have seized 100 guns in Miami Beach so far, as spring breakers and tourists are drawn to Florida's relaxed virus-control rules assembled by the thousands. Miami Police also arrested hundreds of partiers who engaged in violence and property destruction, street fights, and more violent crimes.