Miami Police can't stop revelers from firing celebratory gunshots on holidays like New Year's Eve and the Fourth of July. This past Independence Day, someone made the moronic decision to fire a gun in the middle of the tourist-heavy Bayside Marketplace in downtown Miami.

Apparently, Denver Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall (not the Brandon Marshall who used to play wideout for the Dolphins) was dining with some friends at a Bayside restaurant when the shots rang out. During the ordeal, Marshall says, he tried to leave the restaurant when five police officers charged him, handcuffed him, threw him into a cop car on charges of "resisting arrest," and then let him go on the condition he promised to keep quiet.

He revealed the arrest in a Denver Post op-ed last week. The op-ed didn't mention the exact location of the arrest; two days ago, he told a Denver TV station the incident occurred at Bayside.

Oddly, that station reported there were no records of Marshall's arrest. Speaking to New Times today, a City of Miami Police spokesperson said she did not have any more information about the ordeal.

"It's an active investigation," she said. "We have no records available or comment right now."

Last week, Marshall joined San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick in putting a knee on the ground during the National Anthem. Kaepernick started the movement to raise awareness about black inequality and race-based police violence — many other NFL stars, including four Miami Dolphins, have joined the protest.

Marshall used his September 14 Post op-ed to explain why he was on one knee. In the piece, he said he would donate $300 to charity organizations for every tackle he makes this year. Then he explained what he says happened in Miami:



I was in Miami with three others at a restaurant and there was a shooting. Everybody ducked under the table out of fear, and a cop came in and told us it was fine, that it was just fireworks. We knew that wasn’t the truth. We began to leave the only way we knew, but there was a lady in regular street clothes directing traffic, telling us, “Go this way, go this way!” At a serious, scary moment a lady I didn’t know was telling me which way to go, and I didn’t trust it. We went our own way, and she yelled to the cops, “Stop him! Get him!” When I turned around, about five officers rushed toward me to take me down. They tried to take me down up top, then they tried to grab my legs. One of the cops pointed a Taser at my chest. They handcuffed me and I heard one say, “Take him in for resisting.” I was in the back of the police car headed to the station when one of the officers radioes in and said, “Bring him back.” They told me, “Look, we’re not going to take you in as long as you keep this between us.”

For now, there isn't any direct evidence that ties Marshall to Bayside that night. But it's clear one male was detained and released. Miami PD's Twitter account that night references detaining one male "with firearm " who was then let go. They said he was not related to the shooting, but did not describe him further.

Subject detained with firearm was not involved. He was released. Two missing kids as a result of evacuation at Bayside have been recovered. — Miami PD (@MiamiPD) July 5, 2016

An archive of the City of Miami's radio transmission that night shows police detained one man "underneath Mojito Bar, directly underneath Hooters," at Bayside that night.

Police Chief Rodolfo Llanes said in a news conference about the incident that one "unrelated arrest was made in the area:"

Llanes said the shots rang out around 9:51 p.m. that night. One Reddit user, Pistoleros, described the event online:

"Everyone started running and yelling. People were jumping in the ocean calling for their kids and family members," the Redditor wrote. Miami Police dispatch radio also reported that at least one person fell into the bay during the chaos.

Marshall hasn't yet said if he'll file a complaint against Miami PD.

