'I Took His Camera': Miami Police Investigate Carollo Fan's Clash With Billy Corben

Documentary filmmaker and civic watchdog Billy Corben filed a complaint with the Miami Police Department (MPD) following a May incident where a Miami resident and Joe Carollo superfan allegedly snatched his phone during a sunshine meeting at Miami City Hall.

At the meeting on May 30 inside the City of Miami commission chambers, Corben walks up and records Beba Sardiña Mann talking to activist Thomas Kennedy while standing in line for public comment.

"She was way too close to me, and I turn around and she looks at me and says, 'You guys love to humiliate yourselves," Kennedy tells New Times. "I gave her a grin. He is filming and senses the hostility because he is right there."

Mann first waves and smiles before shoving her hand into the phone camera. The audio captures Corben's muffled "Oof." Kennedy says she then snatched the phone and slammed it onto the dais. Corben filed a complaint with the police department that day after a sergeant-at-arms witnessed the incident.

"It was in front of everyone," Kennedy adds. "It was next to the city manager."

Following the incident, however, he says nobody did anything, and she was still allowed to speak at the meeting.

"Imagine if roles were reversed," he notes. "We would be arrested on the spot, rightfully so."

Mann admitted during her two minutes of public speaking that she did, in fact, take Corben's phone. And like her favorite commissioner does, the woman called him "Mr. Cohen," a reference to Corben's legal name, which the filmmaker says public officials repeatedly mention to draw attention to his Jewish heritage.

"I want to put on the record right now that Mr. Cohen, Corben, whatever his real legal name is, put a camera to my face, invaded my space, and he has a tendency, just like he has done here with the chicken and with everything else, to mock people and make fun of them," she said before the commission. "If he so does desire to do that for me, you guys are witnesses. I will get an attorney and sue him for harassment because this is called harassment."

She added, "Now to speak, no, that was not assault. Oh my God. I took his camera. I took his camera. That's not assault."

Mann continued to call Corben and Kennedy immature and petty.

"You guys are little kids," she said. "You act like you're five years old. You are a total joke."

After Commissioner Damian Pardo got her back on track, she focused on her prepared public comments. While holding back tears, Mann said Carollo deserves more praise.

"What he has done for us is unbelievable," Mann said. "He is the only commissioner who has done that. I don't see anyone here talking about the things that Mr. Carollo does. All I see is the same people speaking, same time, every time, at the commission before it becomes a circus. Beginning with our elected officials that act, appear like immature children. This is a professional post that you are elected to have, not to sit here and completely derail everything for little snaps at each other. Please, let's all grow up."

In a statement to New Times, Corben said, "While this incident occurred in full view of dozens of witnesses and on video, it is now the subject of an open and ongoing criminal investigation, so I'll limit my comments out of respect for the process. As I shared with the detective in my interview, we were in a public building during a public meeting; we can disagree, have spirited debate, we can even get loud. But we cannot put our hands on anyone in an aggressive or hateful fashion — and we certainly cannot steal property. There is a line, and the suspect crossed it.

"I was there to engage our government as a citizen and cover the meeting as a documentarian and journalist," he continued. "My phone is the tool I was using to exercise my First Amendment as a member of the press and keep our community informed. It was out of line and a possible crime for the suspect to violently deprive me of that tool."

Though MPD marks the robbery case as closed, Corben says no one from the department has notified him.

Editor's note: After New Times published the story, Mann reached out with an email statement:

"I was in line to speak, second in line, when Mr. Cohen jumped out of his seat (front row) and started videotaping me with his phone," Mann writes. "I didn't think anything of it, so I gave him a peace sign and made some fun movements. He then launched at me with the phone and put it to my face. I felt threatened and took the phone from him and gave it to the City Clerk....

"As a senior, and a private citizen, I felt threatened by this man when he leaped towards me. His behavior and lack of respect for others has reached new heights. Next time, I hope he thinks twice before provoking a senior."