MIAMI GARDENS, FLA. (WSVN) - A chaotic confrontation at a South Florida gym that ended with a man stabbed and another one arrested was caught on camera.
Miami Gardens Police and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue responded to the 24 Hour Fitness, located at 19371 NW 27th Ave., around 6 p.m. in May.
Police said the suspect, 28-year-old Andrew Rodriguez, came to the gym looking for a fight. When the two men started punching each other, Rodriguez pulled out a knife.
The video shows Rodriguez entering the gym without signing in. Moments later, he reaches inside his gym bag and retrieves a knife. After an exchange of words with another guy, the two began fighting. Both started rolling on the floor as they jabbed each other in the face and body.
As they continued fighting, police say, Rodriguez took out the knife and stabbed the other man in the chest, forearm, and hip.
According to the arrest report, the fight began after Rodriguez approached the victim at the gym and made remarks about his disabled daughter.
Rodriguez told the victim “You are weak just like your daughter,” the report states.
Witnesses were there to see the fight unfold.
“I heard commotion and I turned around and I saw them fighting,” said a witness. “And I just saw the guy sitting next to me stab the guy in the ribs.”
The witness described what occurred after the victim was stabbed.
“Then the guy was just kind of stumbling, scrambling, trying to get away from him and then the gentleman that stabbed him ran over to grab his stuff to leave and his whole arm was covered in blood,” said the witness.
A woman, seen on video, was watching the fight unfold. She stood up and appeared to brace herself as the two men began throwing punches.
Surveillance video shows the victim running toward the front door as he left a trail of blood. Rodriguez ran toward a rear exit of the gym with a blood-stained shirt.
Body camera footage, obtained exclusively by 7News, shows the police response at the gym when the victim is found.
Footage shows the victim yelling in pain as rescue crews lift him onto a stretcher.
An off-duty officer tells another office that the suspect was a “Hispanic male.”
“A Hispanic male. Full of blood,” a witness tells officers.
Two off-duty officers were at the gym to work out but rushed to help the victim as they waited for the fire rescue’s arrival. They briefed the responding officers on their actions.
“I applied pressure. I applied pressure,” the off-duty officer said.
“Alright. Hold it, hold it, hold it,” said the responding officer. “What’s the estimated time of arrival (ETA) on fire? I got two off-duty police officers holding pressure.”
The victim was airlifted to Aventura Hospital’s trauma unit due to the severity of his injuries. He is currently recovering from his injuries.
Moments after, a drone video shows Rodriguez, shirtless, running around the area following the stabbing.
“We have the subject running through the apartment complex,” a police dispatcher said.
Officers combed the area for the on-the-run suspected stabber.
“Someone take each side of the complex,” an officer said.
Nearly a month after the gym stabbing, Rodriguez surrendered to Miami Gardens Police.
Police said Rodriguez did not give them a motive on why he did it, but the victim said there was bad blood over an ex-lover.
Rodriguez remains behind bars and is charged with attempted murder.
His trial is set for October.
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