Miami Beach declares curfew after spate of gun violence

[March 22, 2022]   (Reuters) - The city of Miami Beach declared a curfew from Thursday until Monday in response to gun violence and raucous spring break crowds that have stretched public services beyond their capacity to respond, officials said on Monday.

A police vehicle is seen next to people enjoying spring break, ahead of an 8pm curfew imposed by local authorities amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Miami Beach, Florida, U.S., March 27, 2021. REUTERS/Marco Bello/File Photo

Five people were hospitalized in two separate shootings over the weekend, as larger-than-usual crowds have swarmed the island just across the bridge from the city of Miami.

City Manager Alina Hudak said she would declare a public emergency that enacts a curfew from midnight to 6 a.m. for five straight nights. Officials said they would ask anyone on the street to go home after midnight.

"Our city is well past its end point. What we're watching and what we're feeling and what we're observing is simply unacceptable," Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber told a news conference.

Police deployed 371 officers over the weekend and confiscated 37 guns over the past three days, Police Chief Richard Clements said.

(Reporting by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Himani Sarkar)

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