Miami police arrested an alleged gunman in a Liberty City street brawl that ended with gunfire and a bullet striking a nearby home, records show.
Miami Herald File
More than a month after a large street brawl broke out in Liberty City that ended in gunfire and bullets whizzing past witnesses and into a home, Miami police have arrested the alleged gunman, records show.
Taji Akeem Cozart Thrasher, 37, is facing charges of attempted second-degree murder, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, using a firearm while committing a felony, shooting a deadly missile, improper exhibition of a firearm, and unlawful discharge of a firearm in a public place, court records show.
On August 21, two women furious with each other came to an agreement on one thing — a time and place that night to fight it out, Cozart Thrasher’s arrest report read. They rallied their friends and several cars descended on the 700 block of Northwest 53rd Street.
Cozart Thrasher and Charles Denis Jr., 22, were in one of those cars with another person armed with a golf club, all ready to brawl. Denis Jr. brought a handgun with him.
At first, the scuffle only involved the original two women, but quickly chaos broke out as smaller fights broke out all over from around a dozen friends or spectators, the report read. Denis Jr. in the confusion took the golf club and hit a woman, causing a contusion to the left side of her forehead and arm.
Cozart Thrasher was then heard asking Denis Jr. to “give me the gun,” continuing to say “I’m going to shoot that s***.” He obliged, and Cozart Thrasher shot the ground near an unidentified person who immediately ran away, the report read.
He took chase, shooting four more times in their direction. Cozart Thrasher and Denis Jr. then escaped the neighborhood.
While the person was not shot, one of the bullets penetrated a garage door at a nearby home, police said.
Denis Jr. was arrested on September 15, and Cozart Thrasher was taken in by Miami police’s Violent Crimes unit on Thursday.
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Miami Herald
Miami Herald Cops and Breaking News Reporter Devoun Cetoute covers a plethora of Florida topics, from breaking news to crime patterns. He was on the breaking news team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2022. He’s a graduate of the University of Florida, born and raised in Miami-Dade. Theme parks, movies and cars are on his mind in and out of the office.