3 arrested in Miami frat hazing with ‘repeated beatings with canes and paddles’

A Miami U.S. Secret Service agent under criminal investigation in connection with an alleged fraternity hazing incident was arrested Sunday on multiple felony charges, including attempted manslaughter and hazing resulting in serious bodily injury.

Read more Man arrested after ‘lengthy standoff’ at Fort Lauderdale Airbnb, police say

Marquez Christopher Pinder, 29, was arrested Sunday, according to Miami-Dade booking records and the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office. Two other men who authorities say helped carry out the vicious, alleged beatings were also arrested: Jared Lamar James, 26, and Elijah Delano Dyous, 29.

The State Attorney’s Office said Sunday night that the investigation uncovered evidence of alleged hazing incidents involving “prolonged and repeated beatings with canes and paddles.” Investigators allege the beatings occurred after the pledge failed to correctly answer questions about the fraternity.

According to a source familiar with the investigation, the alleged incident involved Kappa Alpha Psi, a historically Black fraternity.

According to authorities, the alleged hazing began on April 1, at an apartment located at 400 SW 107th Ave. in Sweetwater, and continued through April 2 and April 3 at the same location. Authorities said the alleged hazing continued on April 4 at a residence in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, located at 10277 SW 183rd St.

Pinder, James and Dyous each face multiple felony charges, including attempted manslaughter with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon or causing great bodily harm, and hazing with a deadly weapon.

The arrests followed an investigation led by Sweetwater police with assistance from the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office and other law enforcement partners.

“Among some, fraternity hazing might be seen as a tradition creating a sense of belonging and brotherhood, but since 2001, hazing in Florida has killed Chad Meredith, Robert Champion and Andrew Coffey while seriously injuring others,” Fernandez Rundle said in a statement. “This case, with the victims requiring hospitalization, provide[s] clear-cut examples of hazing’s danger.”

“In Florida, hazing is abuse, and it is a crime,” she said. “Its victims too often lie in their graves and in hospital beds.”

Read more Pharmacist dispensed more than 300,000 oxycodone pills in Broward, feds say

The investigation began after Sweetwater police responded on April 22 to a report involving a fraternity pledge who was hospitalized following an alleged hazing incident. One pledge suffered severe kidney injuries and was hospitalized but was expected to recover, according to a source familiar with the investigation.

The FBI was notified when the investigation of Pinder began, the Herald has learned.

Pinder is a 2021 Florida International University graduate assigned to the U.S. Secret Service’s Miami Field Office. Pinder had been employed by the Secret Service since September 2023, according to his LinkedIn page. Reached prior to his arrest, he declined to comment on the allegations. The Secret Service did not respond to questions about his status.

Pinder’s attorney, Justin Beckham, told the Herald that the charges against his client were “grossly overcharged.”

The arrests mark the first criminal charges announced in the investigation. Court records identifying the alleged victims and providing additional details about the allegations were not immediately available to the Herald Sunday. It was not immediately clear whether other individuals who had previously been under investigation would also face charges.

Sweetwater, located across the street from Florida International University, is home to a number of students at the university. But in a written statement before any arrest was made, FIU told the Herald that Sweetwater police had “confirmed that the allegations do not involve an FIU organization or FIU student.”

Sweetwater police told the Herald the matter remains an active criminal investigation.

An arrest warrant states that the student injured in the hazing was a University of Miami student, according to the New York Times.

Read more Miami man arrested after police find a gun, a goat and decapitated chickens

This story was originally published July 26, 2026 at 8:41 PM.