MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) — A man who was riding his skateboard near his home on South Beach said he suddenly became the victim of a vicious attack.
Police said that snatch-and-grab crimes are fairly common in Miami Beach, but not when they are as violent as what 42-year-old David Johnson said happened to him, early Saturday morning.
Johnson said he was beaten and robbed, and he shared his story on Facebook. "I just wanted to reach out and let everybody know I got pretty messed up, as you can see from my face," Johnson said in the clip. "I passed two guys, didn’t think anything of it."
Johnson, a 16-year resident of South Beach, told 7News he was a few blocks away from his home when, at around 3 a.m., two men grabbed him and slammed him to the ground at the intersection of 15th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. "They came up past me, I skateboarded past them, and about 10 feet later, they both came up from behind me and slammed my face into the ground," Johnson said in the video.
The victim tried to put up a fight, but the two men beat him in the face with his skateboard and took off with his phone and wallet. "One took off running south, and one took off running west," Johnson said. "I just had no way to do anything about it."
Johnson said the attack left him in pain, with his face cut, bruised and in need of multiple stitches.
He told 7News that he posted two-minute Facebook message to remind everyone to be safe and to be kind to one another. "I’m beaten up, but I’m not broken, and all I can say is these two guys that did this to me, they just need a little bit of love in their life, so they know they shouldn’t be doing this to people," said Johnson.
His message of love is being circulated. His video has received more than 26,000 views.
If you have any information on this snatch-and-grab, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a $1,000 reward.