Miami, FL
6-year-old girl fights off would-be kidnapper in Miami: ‘I bit him’
A 6-year-old girl bravely fought off a man who tried to kidnap her outside the child’s Miami apartment building, according to police.
The youngster, identified as Ah’lyric, and her siblings were playing in the courtyard of their complex on Thursday when they noticed a white Range Rover parked nearby, according to an arrest report obtained by NBC South Florida.
The other children went inside, but Ah’lyric stayed outside on the stairway and a man, later identified as Leonardo Venegas, 32, grabbed her arm, she told police.
She tried to free herself from his grasp, but as she fought back he picked her up and tried to carry her away, cops said.
That’s when clamped her jaws down on Venegas’ arm.
“I bit him,” Ah’lyric, told NBC South Florida Monday. She said she learned the defense tactic from her mother.
The bite caused Venegas to drop the girl. He slapped her before fleeing, police said.
“I’m glad she knew how to fight back,” mother Teshia McGill told the outlet.
Venegas was arrested in Miami-Dade County on Sunday and charged with kidnapping and child abuse for trying to snatch the girl outside of her home, according to police records obtained by the news outlet.
The frightening ordeal was captured on security camera. The footage allegedly shows Venegas get out of the white Range Rover and walk toward the building. Moments later, he is seen running from the scene back to his car.
Investigators tracked the car’s license plate to capture Venegas.
He told police he had been in the area looking for houses to buy, but the complex is HUD housing and there are no “for sale” signs, police noted in their report.
When he was asked why he was running away from the apartment complex, he told cops he had heard someone screaming. He requested an attorney when investigators asked about his interaction with the girl.
“This is a case that has us extremely worried, concerned, something that’s not very common,” Miami Police Capt. Freddie Cruz told NBC South Florida. “Luckily we were able to apprehend this individual.”
Cruz said his department is looking into whether there have been additional victims.
“If you’re going to be playing outside, which is a wonderful thing, please, try to play in groups, try to have an adult present, some sort of supervision, know where your children or if you’re a guardian, know where they are at,” Cruz said.
Miami, FL
Stephen A. Smith Once Referred To Ex-Miami Heat Player As ‘Steal Of The Draft’
Let’s be honest: no one is perfect when it comes to making predictions.
You win some, and you lose some.
So cut media personality Stephen A. Smith some slack for his now cold take during the 2015 NBA draft. While ripping the New York Knicks for drafting Kristaps Porzingis with the fourth pick, Smith rattled off three players they should have taken instead.
They were Willie Cauley-Stein, Stanley Johnson and Justise Winslow, who he all called “NBA ready.”
Smith boldly called Winslow “the steal of the draft.” He was taken by the Heat at No. 10. Fans fell for it, too, because they cheered loudly at Kaseya Center when the pick was announced. The result was Winslow having five forgetful seasons in Miami before he was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies.
Heat fans forever link him with All-Star Devin Booker, who was taken three spots after at No. 13. Others drafted later were Kelly Oubre Jr., and Terry Rozier.
Smith was actually wrong about all the players he mentioned who should have been taken ahead of Porzingis. Cauley-Stein was out of the league after seven seasons, averaging 8.7 points and 5.9 rebounds for his career. Johnson made it eight seasons before exiting to play overseas.
Meanwhile, Porzingis is still going strong as a key cog for the defending champion Boston Celtics. And Heat fans are still sulking about Winslow never panning out.
Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com
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Miami, FL
Agent Sheds Light on Hill Situation
Four days ago after Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill’s headline-grabbing comment “I’m out” that followed his pulling himself out of the season finale against the New York Jets, his agent shed some light on his client’s mind-set but left unanswered the biggest question of all.
Appearing on the Pat McAfee Show, Drew Rosenhaus said Hill showed his dedication and commitment to the Dolphins in 2024 by playing the entire season through a wrist injury that doctors said required surgery, but declined to say whether Hill did or did not want to be traded because he hasn’t spoken to the wide receiver yet.
Hill hasn’t written anything on X in the past couple of days that would indicate his preference, though he did change back his avatar to a picture of himself in a Dolphins uniform after having for one day his head shot superimposed on the barechested Antonio Brown as he walking out on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the middle of a game at MetLife Stadium.
What Rosenhaus did say from Hard Rock Stadium is that Hill broke his wrist during a joint practice with the Washington Commanders.
“We have top-risk doctors saying to Tyreek, ‘You need to get this operated on, you’re going to miss the season,’ ” Rosenhaus said. “Tyreek says to me and the Dolphins, ‘I’m not going to miss the season. I’m going to play, I want to be here for my team.’ The doctors all said it’s going to be painful. It could impact your entire career. If you don’t get it done now, you may not be able to fix it all the way. Tyreek said, hey, the heck with it. I’m a team guy. I’m going for it. This hampered him all year long. He deserves a lot of credit.
“Tyreek is very passionate. Anyone I’ve ever represented that was great was passionate. They cared. What you see with Tyreek is very genuine. He wants to win. It’s not good enough for him not to make the playoffs. He’s very passionate. I think at the end of the day, he’s committed to this Dolphins football team. He had an excellent meeting with Chris Grier, Mike McDaniel. I believe that Tyreek is a great asset to the Dolphins. And I think he’s the least guy that people should be worried about for this organization. They have many more worries. Tyreek Hill is not one of them.”
GM Chris Grier said during the Dolphins’ end-of-season press conference that both he and head coach Mike McDaniel had productive conversations with Hill the previous day in their exit meetings and that Hill never asked to be traded, even though he didn’t take back anything he said after the game.
This was a really tough year all around for Hill, with off-the-field turmoil (most notably being detained by police officers outside Hard Rock Stadium on the day of the season opener), the wrist injury, and on-field results that included his first season without being selected to the Pro Bowl (though Rosenhaus said Hill was a second alternate), his first season without 1,000 receiving yards when making at least 13 starts, and his first time missing the playoffs since he entered the NFL in 2016.
For the Dolphins, having a healthy and happy Hill is the best thing for them in 2025.
Trading him would be a last resort because they would not get equal value in return because of Hill’s age, recent injuries, salary and checkered past. Check out suggested trades online over the past couple of days and they usually involve something like a third-round pick.
More importantly, for the Dolphins to rebound and return to the playoffs in 2025, having Hill would make that task a lot easier to accomplish.
Miami, FL
Alberto M. Carvalho on the fires in Los Angeles
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