In the early morning hours of Friday, June 5, 2026, a dispute inside a Miami Beach sports bar escalated into a fatal act of violence that claimed the life of 31-year-old Diego Pereira. The incident began with a physical altercation between Pereira and another man, identified as 41-year-old Quayshawn West, at the Sandbar Sports Bar on Collins Avenue. Patrons and staff at the bar intervened to separate the two men, and both were subsequently asked to leave the establishment.
Following their removal from the bar, Pereira and West were directed to exit through different doors in an attempt to de-escalate the situation. West was escorted out through a back patio area, while Pereira was led to the front entrance. However, Pereira later made his way to an alley and through a door that led to the patio where West was. It was in this alley that the confrontation turned deadly. Surveillance footage from the area reportedly captured the sound of a gunshot. The footage then showed Pereira running back toward the alley door as West pursued him. West allegedly shot Pereira in the back of the head as he reached for the door.
After the shooting, West was seen on camera fleeing down the alley and discarding an object, believed to be the gun, in some nearby bushes. A friend of Pereira, who had left the bar to get food and was returning, told police he heard two gunshots and saw West running from the alley. An alert was issued for West, and he was later located and apprehended by police in the courtyard of his residence on Indian Creek Drive. Investigators recovered a shirt, hat, and bloody sandals that matched the description of what West was wearing at the time of the incident. Quayshawn West was arrested and has been charged with second-degree murder. He is currently being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center without bond and has entered a plea of not guilty. The case against West is now proceeding through the legal system.
