Miami Beach police are seeking to speak with rapper Fat Joe, who they say may have possibly witnessed the murder of two people during a Memorial Day brawl on South Beach.
According to the Miami Herald, police believe that the rapper (real name: Jose Cartagena) was with the two murder victims, Lessli Paz and Joey Navarro, and seek further information about the gunman.
The two individuals were shot dead early Monday (May 28) and a man was arrested for the killings.
The paper reports that Paz, Navarro and several other men -- possibly including Joe -- were in a rented black Escalade parked outside David's Cafe II on South Beach when they became involved in a verbal altercation with the gunman.
The argument escalated, a fight broke out and police say the 24-year-old gunman, identified as Jermaine "Wufgang" Chamberline, pulled a gun and fired four rounds into the group. "As the two groups began punching and kicking each other, [Chamberline] reached into his right-front pocket and pulled out a 9mm handgun," the arrest warrant read.
Although police are unsure if Fat Joe was involved in the fight or how he managed to flee before police arrived, they said they only want to speak to the rapper as a possible witness. Four other men who claimed to be friends with the victims when police detained them at the scene refused to cooperate
For the past six years, Miami Beach has been a major destination for hip-hop events during Memorial Day weekend, but also attracts heavy criminal activity according to police.
During this past 2007 holiday weekend, almost 800 people were arrested between Thursday and Monday, officials told the Miami Herald, down more than 200 less than last year. The arrests were said to be mostly misdemeanor charges and more than 60 guns were confiscated this year as well.
With heavy police presence and arrests down this year, Miami Beach officials called the weekend a success, even thought the weekend ended in tragedy.
Fat Joe was not immediately available for comment at press time.
