arrested last year for a hit and run and aggravated battery on an officer<\/a>. He was facing five felony charges. <\/p>\nFree and out of jail now, he tells 7News he knew from the moment the incident occurred that he had done nothing wrong. <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I knew that I never struck the officer,\u201d said Foga\u00e7a.<\/p>\n
According to Miami Beach Police, motorman Anthony Guzman was on traffic duty on May 5, 2025 on Miami Beach\u2019s Fifth Street when he attempted to stop Foga\u00e7a for a moving violation. <\/p>\n
But after encountering Guzman, body camera footage shows Foga\u00e7a driving off with his behind him on his bike. <\/p>\n
Police had initially said that during his exit from the scene, he \u201caccelerated in the direction of the officer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI just been struck by a vehicle,\u201d said Miami Beach Officer Anthony Guzman on body camera footage in the aftermath of the incident. <\/p>\n
The incident led to Foga\u00e7a serving nine months behind bars and agreeing to self deport back to his home country of Brazil. <\/p>\n
But speaking to 7News on Friday, Foga\u00e7a claims the motorcycle did not come close to Officer Guzman.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe motorcycle never touched his body, never,\u201d said Foga\u00e7a. \u201cI was passing by him. He reached on the motorcycle and he pulled really hard\u2026I left because I got scared.\u201d<\/p>\n
He\u2019s since been acquitted of all felony charges. <\/p>\n
\u201cNine months suffering,\u201d said Foga\u00e7a.<\/p>\n
Foga\u00e7a states he had no idea Guzman hit the ground.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you know that it was a cop in uniform? That it was an officer of the law when it was happening?\u201d said 7News\u2019 Sheldon Fox.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew that,\u201d said Foga\u00e7a.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven if he\u2019s wrong, and he\u2019s telling you, \u2018Stop, stop, stop your motorcycle,\u2019 you know he\u2019s a cop, so why not just stop?\u201d said Fox. <\/p>\n
\u201cThat was a bad decision to leave. I should stop. I took the wrong decision to leave, but I should have stopped,\u201d said Foga\u00e7a.<\/p>\n
Moments after the incident, he and his wife wound up crashing on the MacArthur Causeway. Officers caught up with him afterward and made their arrest. <\/p>\n
But before he was taken in, his wife, Valkiria, was hospitalized, and so was Officer Guzman, who had broken ribs.<\/p>\n
Foga\u00e7a contends Guzman\u2019s injuries must have come from him falling to the ground. <\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t hit him,\u201d said Foga\u00e7a.<\/p>\n
While awaiting trial, Foga\u00e7a said he was offered a plea deal of five years in prison. He refused it. <\/p>\n
\u201cDoes it make sense for you to take a plea for something that you haven\u2019t done?\u201d said Foga\u00e7a. <\/p>\n
Foga\u00e7a spent six months in jail awaiting trial, then three months in federal lockup on an immigration hold that included a stint at Alligator Alcatraz before he was deported back to Brazil. <\/p>\n
Copyright 2026 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.<\/p>\n
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