A Ferris wheel operator was arrested after he was filmed attacking a Black mother before suffering an assault by a crowd of carnival attendees.
The video of the attack went viral this past weekend after it showed a Black woman and children exiting a Ferris wheel at the Opa Locka Hialeah Flea Market. After exiting the ride, the woman said something to the operator before the man lunged to attack her.
Shortly after attacking the woman, a crowd of people swarmed to the woman's aid and began attacking the carnival employee. The altercation was de-escalated once off-duty police officers called for backup. Once the cops arrived, the crowd fled the scene and they were not able to locate the woman who was initially attacked.
Authorities eventually tracked the woman down and interviewed her on Sunday. Based on the video and the woman's interview, the police had probable cause to arrest the Ferris wheel operator. The police also issued a statement denouncing the whole altercation, which read, "The Opa-locka Police Department does not tolerate any criminal acts of violence and will prosecute those individuals to the fullest extent of the law."
