Overview

• On Friday near 27th Street and Collins Avenue, Pit Gottschalk was struck in the face and back, suffering bruises to his left cheekbone and kidney pain.
• A group of homeless bystanders, including a wheelchair user, intervened to drive off the attacker and summoned paramedics for immediate on-site treatment.
• Miami Beach police arrested 54-year-old Perry Smith at the scene; he is a registered sex offender with a history of violent assaults.
• During a bail hearing, Smith threatened Judge Christine Hernandez with “a thousand deaths” before being ordered held on $1,000 bail pending trial.
• Gottschalk has since recovered enough to meet his rescuer for breakfast to express gratitude, prompting reflection on reporter safety near major events and contrasting U.S. and German suspect-reporting standards.