September 2021

The North Miami Police Department’s “Officers of the Month” for September 2021 are Detectives Alens Bernadeau, Brian Bohne, and McSai Jean-Baptiste. Detective Bernadeau and Detective Jean-Baptiste are 9-year veterans, and Detective Bohne is a 3-year veteran, assigned to the Investigative Section. They are being recognized for their hard work and dedication to the residents of North Miami. Detective Bernadeau, Bohne, and Jean-Baptiste were nominated by Commander Tory Holmes for the following cases:

On August 28, 2021, officers were dispatched to a domestic dispute, where shots had been fired. Upon arrival, officers made contact with the victim. The victim told officers that a known suspect fired several gunshots into his unoccupied vehicle, and fled the scene. Detective Bohne responded to the scene, and assumed the role of the lead detective in the investigation. Detective Bohne was advised that the victim and the suspect’s girlfriend were involved in an altercation inside the victim’s apartment. The suspect’s girlfriend subsequently responded downstairs and told the suspect about the altercation. Surveillance footage captured the suspect shouting obscenities, and aggressively punching the glass door to the lobby of the apartment building. The suspect then entered the building to confront the victim. The suspect continued to act erratic, yelling obscenities while inside the building. The suspect then exited the building into the parking lot. He is then seen brandishing a firearm in a threatening manner, and is heard asking his girlfriend, where the victim’s vehicle is parked. The girlfriend identified the victim’s vehicle, at which time, the suspect recklessly, with wanton disregard for the safety of anyone nearby, shot into the vehicle thirteen (13) times. Afterwards, the suspect and his girlfriend fled from the scene in a vehicle.

Detective Bernadeau and Detective Jean-Baptiste arrived on scene to assist with finding this dangerous felon on the run. Detective Bohne provided the detectives with the details of the event. Detective Bernadeau and Detective Jean-Baptiste then set out to locate, and bring this enraged person to justice. The detectives urgently followed up on several investigative leads. Approximately two hours later, the detectives located the suspect’s getaway vehicle in traffic. The detectives carefully devised a plan to coordinate a felony traffic stop on the vehicle. The detectives tactically positioned themselves for the element of surprise, as they had a visual of the suspect inside the vehicle. They then utilized specialized tactics to conduct a felony traffic stop on the vehicle. Their stealth tactics immediately placed the suspect at a disadvantage, with no avenue of escape. The suspect saw that he was surrounded by police, at which time, he peacefully surrendered. The suspect was transported to the North Miami Police Department, where Detective Bohne interviewed him.

The suspect provided a full confession of the crime to Detective Bohne. He admitted to shooting the victim’s vehicle out of rage. He stated that he wanted to destroy the victim’s vehicle, due to the altercation that occurred between his girlfriend and the victim. The suspect was shown the surveillance footage of the incident, and he identified himself as the person in the video. The suspect stated that after he fled the scene, he discarded the firearm at a park, outside of North Miami’s jurisdiction. In the interest of public safety, Detective Bohne exercised due diligence and acted on the suspect’s claim. He requested the assistance of Sunny Isles Beach Police K9 Unit, to conduct an article search of the mentioned area for the firearm. These detectives demonstrated diligence in their collaborative investigative efforts, and courage in their determination to remove this impulsive, violent tempered person from our community. Their quick response for action likely prevented further violence from taking place. The actions of these detectives reflects highly, not only upon themselves, but also on the image and reputation of the Department. They truly made “A Positive Impact.”