Miami Beach officer stun-guns tourists after they threaten, throw bottle, police say
A Miami Beach police officer was captured on video using a stun gun on two Chicago tourists, who police say were cursing at and threatening him.
Around 3 a.m. Thursday, Sgt. Vincent Stella was driving on Collins Avenue when Kellen McMiller, 31, hit his car with a bottle of Hennessey, Miami Beach police said.
Stella got out of his car and attempted to grab the bottle from McMiller, who was with 29-year-old Catrina Jones. As Stella went for the bottle, McMiller pushed the officer back.
Once Stella again tried to take the bottle — this time he succeeded. Then McMiller and Jones “aggressively” came within inches of Stella’s face, according to an arrest report.
They started cursing at Stella, yelling: “You’re a p----”, “I will f--- you up” and “Let’s f--- this motherf----- up!”
As Stella tried to call for back up, he shouted for the pair to get back. They assumed a fighting stance and Stella pulled out his stun gun, the report read.
A video shared by Miami Problemss on Instagram shows Stella push McMiller back before he points his stun gun at the pair.
As McMiller was walking away with his back turned, Stella tased him, the video shows.
McMiller falls to the ground and Jones tries to bend down. Stella shouts “Get off of him,” before then tasing her.
While not heard on the video, police say that when McMiller was on the ground, Jones told him to get up so they could resume fighting, according to the report.
The arrest report says she was trying to take the stun gun’s probes off McMiller when she, too, was stunned.
Miami Beach officers came over to help after hearing the commotion, ultimately arresting the two.
Jones was charged with resisting an officer with violence and McMiller was charged with battery of an officer, resisting an officer with violence and having an open container of alcohol.
