A bare-knuckle fighter has been arrested in Miami after a failed attempt to escape police by scaling down an apartment building. Peter Alexander Peraza, 35, who is associated with the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, was taken into custody early this morning at the Bay Parc Apartments, reported WSVN. Authorities were executing a search warrant when Peraza, attempting to evade capture, began descending the building's exterior using the balconies of other units.
The chase began after the police sought to apprehend Peraza following a violent incident on April 1 involving extortion and physical assault. During an altercation inside an apartment at 10 SW S. River Drive, Peraza and his accomplice, Lillian Rebecca Goodman, demanded money for rent from Goodman's ex-boyfriend. When the demand was not met, Peraza physically assaulted the man and, along with Goodman, stole several items including a cellphone, a MacBook, a Gucci watch, and a camera. The victim, in an attempt to escape, suffered a broken foot "with the bone visibly protruding," and it was later stated that he would need surgery including the installation of two screws in his foot, Local 10 highlighted.
Peraza's last night's antics culminated in his entry into a randomly chosen apartment seven stories below the initial pursuit point. The tenant, though not present, had security cameras installed and was able to alert building management of the intrusion. In turn, management notified the police, leading to Peraza's arrest. He now faces a raft of charges, including burglary of an unoccupied dwelling and resisting an officer without violence, in addition to the more severe charges related to the April 1 event.
In the aftermath of the incident, residents at the Bay Parc Apartments were advised through emergency alerts to secure their doors and remain indoors. The residents attempting to return home, some delayed after walking their pets, experienced considerable distress as they were left stranded during the standoff. "A lot of movement. There are a lot of police officers around. A lot of cops, a lot of vehicles. Definitely there was something big going on. It happens quite often around here in this neighborhood, honestly, sadly, I guess," one man told WSVN. Residents have since seen the area return to normal as the investigation concluded and officials vacated the premises.
Goodman, Peraza's alleged accomplice in the April 1 incident, was arrested on April 16 and faces charges parallel to Peraza's. These charges encompass burglary with assault or battery, false imprisonment, grand theft, criminal mischief, tampering with a victim, and strong-arm robbery. Peraza, after giving a statement, is being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center awaiting bond to be set. Goodman, however, is currently not held in a county facility, though her information remains in the online jail database.
