Miami Beach 'Hate Crime' Victim Says No One Stopped to Help

MIAMI BEACH, FL — When suspected hate crime victim Kevin Wilcox lay bleeding and unconscious on a South Beach sidewalk for three hours at the start of Friday's rush hour, he believes that there could have been as many as 100 people around him in the residential neighborhood. Maybe they thought he was homeless or they didn't notice him with his miniature pinscher at his side. But no one stopped to help.

"It was very hard for me to swallow the fact that nobody would stop to even check. Even if I walked by somebody and thought they were homeless — but they were bleeding like hell and they had a dog sitting on them — I would call the police," the 45-year-old Wilcox told Patch Monday night. "There’s no question in my mind I would call the police." (Sign up for our free Daily Newsletters and Breaking News Alerts for the Miami Beach Patch.)

When he regained consciousness, the 45-year-old Wilcox said his first thought was not for the $50,000 in jewelry he had been wearing, including a $20,000 Cartier ring and a $30,000 Bulgari watch, but for his dog, Klonopin, who never left his side just outside Flamingo Park. Neither were taken, though the dog somehow slipped out of his leash and collar.

Like your Miami Beach Patch

"I was very lucky. He was literally lying next to me and licking the blood out of my forehead because that was the worst blood," Wilcox said. "He put his paw on my chest to push me sort of back down to continue to lick me because he doesn’t want me to bleed."

Wilcox said that the two men who beat him and left him on that sidewalk with Klonopin by his side did so only because he was gay in a city that is not only known for its tolerance but that openly embraces diversity.

"People had to have walked by me," he said, though it was unclear how many people heard the commotion or may have noticed something out of the ordinary. "We have a lot of homeless people. But there’s a big difference between being homeless — although I probably looked pretty crappy — I mean obviously. I’m covered in blood and I’m wearing 50,000 worth of jewelry. It’s like I can’t be that homeless. But nobody made any attempt. Even the police were like, 'This is crazy. This can’t be the case.'"

Wilcox suffered internal injuries, a concussion and broken ribs in the attack that he believes happened around 5 p.m. Friday at 14 Street and Meridian Avenue. His two attackers could be charged with a hate crime if they are located.

Yet from a police perspective, there are troubling pieces of Wilcox's account. He did not report the incident until Sunday, though it happened two days before. The neighborhood where the attack occurred should have been busy that time on a Friday night. Surely, somebody would have seen or heard the attack and called police.

"The victim stated the crime took place Friday evening. He sought treatment Saturday and reported the crime to police Sunday morning," Ernesto Rodriguez of the Miami Beach Police Department told Patch Sunday night. "As with any investigation, the crime itself is investigated. Upon arrest, the complete findings are presented to the State Attorney's Office who then determines if they will prosecute as a hate crime."

Wilcox told police he was walking his dog on the west side of 14 Street when the two men called him a gay slur as they crossed paths. Wilcox kept walking when one of the men grabbed him from behind and held him while the other punched him repeatedly in the face and body.

"They doubled back," recalled Wilcox, a psychologist who works with victims of crime through the Unity Coalition, a South Florida group specializing in LGBT issues involving the Hispanic community. "They locked my arms behind me. I couldn’t basically move. The guy was a 6-foot-plus guy, 200 pounds, all muscle. So I was basically rendered functionless."

As they beat him, one of the suspects used another gay slur and said that all homosexuals must die, Wilcox said. "We’re here to kill all of the f-----s, and your day to die is today," he told Patch.

Throughout the ordeal, Wilcox said he never called out for help. "I was silent. I didn’t yell. I didn’t scream. I did not yell for help, none of that. I tried to kick. But you know when your upper body is being pulled back, your lower body just kind of gives up as well. At that point, I was getting a lot of blows to my chest and my stomach," he said.

Both of the suspects are described as African-American men. One was about 6 feet 1 inch to 6 feet 2 inches tall and about 200 pounds with braids in his hair, brown eyes and black hair. The second suspect was 5 feet 9 inches tall, about 160 pounds with a shaved head with brown eyes and black hair. Both suspects were wearing jeans and T-shirts.

"Mr. Wilcox advised that he soon passed out," according to a police report. "Mr. Wilcox stated that he regain consciousness three hours later. Mr. Wilcox stated that he then went home and went to sleep. Mr. Wilcox stated that the next morning he went to Mr. Sinai Hospital on his own."

Wilcox acknowledges he didn't follow any of the advice he would have given crime victims just a few days before the incident.

"I made a choice to take care of myself, and the next day I woke up and I was in a lot more pain. Obviously, you always wake up worse. And at that point I went to the emergency room. The gash in my head was all the way to the bone. It’s all the way in my skull," he asserted. "There’s a little piece of me that said, 'There’s no point in reporting this because honestly nothing is going to happen. They’re not going to find these people. There’s no cameras. There’s nothing there.'"

Wilcox, who holds a doctoral degree in psychology, planned to meet with Miami Beach city officials on Tuesday night to share his views on what more he thinks the city can do to protect the LGBTQ community. Any lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender person who experiences discrimination, harassment or worse can already seek immediate assistance under the city's "Safe Place" initiative, but that is mostly in the busy commercial areas of Miami Beach.

Wilcox believes that more needs to be done away from the busy commercial areas of South Beach along Ocean Drive, Washington Avenue and Collins Avenue, where the city's many visitors tend to congregate.

"I was in a very residential neighborhood, so you’re in a whole different planet," he explained. "You’re not going to find a police car, and that needs to change, whether it’s just one police car that continues to patrol sort of all the in-between roads, it needs to happen."

As news of the incident began to spread, Wilcox said he was approached by a neighbor who said he heard some commotion but dismissed it.

"Somebody came out of the apartment next door, and he said he actually heard this going on, like he heard a ruckus basically," according to Wilcox. "But he said, you know, he just figured it was a bunch of kids playing, and I’m like 'I wish you had maybe looked a little bit further.' People don’t really pay much attention of what’s going on around them. But it’s easier not to."

To report a tip, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS (8477) or 866-471-8477, visit crimestoppersmiami.com and select "Give a Tip" or text "CSMD" followed by the tip to 274637.

Kevin Wilcox pictured with his dog, Klonopin, before Friday's attack. Photo courtesy of Kevin Wilcox.

Have you been the victim to or have witnessed a bias act? Tell your story here.