A man who was shot by a Miami Shores cop as he allegedly charged at the officer with a sword last month made his first appearance before a judge from a hospital bed on Thursday.
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Barry Bienaime, 32, is facing charges of attempted first-degree murder, possession of drug paraphernalia, and criminal mischief in the June 21 incident.
Miami Shores Police officers had initially responded to Tropical Chevrolet on Biscayne Boulevard after employees called 911 to report a man was openly carrying a “machete,” an arrest report said.
According to the report, Bienaime entered the dealership and asked about buying a vehicle, but was confronted by the manager about the weapon he was carrying.
Bienaime took a stance and gripped the handle of the weapon, described as a katana, before he became irate and left the dealership, the report said.
As he left, Bienaime unsheathed the katana and slashed the rear windshield of a vehicle, the report said.
When an officer arrived he spotted Bienaime, who crossed across five lanes of traffic on Biscayne Boulevard while gripping the katana, the report said.
As the officer got out of his vehicle, Bienaime raised the katana over his head and charged at the officer, who told him to drop the weapon, the report said.
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Bienaime ignored the officers orders and “closed distance rapidly,” and that’s when the officer opened fire, hitting him in the abdomen and elbow/biceps area, the report said.
Cell phone video showed the shooting unfold in broad daylight on the busy roadway, with at least four gunshots ringing out in the footage.
Bienaime was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center for treatment. No officers or civilians were injured.
When police searched Bienaime’s property they found a scale, three grinders, rolling paper and a lighter, the report said.
Bienaime appeared before a judge by video from his hospital bed on Thursday, and was ordered held without bond.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the incident, which is standard practice in police shootings.
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