Mystery Man Sought in Fatal Beating of Miami Beach Tourist

Aug. 20, 2010 — -- A grainy cell phone video has been released by Miami Beach police in an effort to identify the muscular, shirtless man who is seen allegedly beating a tourist to death.

The suspect is around 5 feet 8 inches tall, his name may be a variation of "Tim" or "Timothy," and may have returned to his home in either New York or Virginia, according to Miami Beach Police Detective Ray Sanchez.

Sanchez told ABC News that police still don't know what sparked the brutal fist fight early Sunday morning that left 27-year-old Dontae Davis dead.

"We are trying to find him to get his side of the story," said Sanchez.

The video shows a clash of people outside a busy Miami bar known as Felt Lounge, where the victim can be seen lying on his back as he's repeatedly slugged by another man. Bystanders at one point try to break up the fight, but fail.

It is not yet clear, said Sanchez, whether the suspect could face murder charges because the official cause of Davis' death has not been released.

"Right now we're just trying to find out what happened that this fight escalated to this point," he said.

Sanchez said that police were called to the popular Miami Beach strip at 3:01 a.m. on Aug. 15 after receiving several calls reporting a fight.

When police arrived, the suspect and the girl he was with had fled, and Davis was sprawled on the pavement, said Sanchez. Davis was taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital where he later died.

"We have no idea what started the fight and why he left the scene," said Sanchez.

Nobody answered the phone at a number listed for the club.

Suspect in Miami Beating Death May Have Ear Injury

A man identified only as Jabbar told a Miami news station that he had been traveling with Davis to celebrate his birthday. Jabbar told CBS4 that he feels guilty about what happened because the trip to Miami was his birthday gift to Davis.

"I feel more to blame. They say I'm not to blame, but he wasn't expecting to go to Miami. I just popped up with it," Jabbar told CBS4.

The crux of the investigation lies in the video that Sanchez said they were lucky to have received from a female bystander who witnessed the attack.

"We're grateful she gave us the video. She could not have done much to [stop the fight] anyway," said Sanchez.

Describing the video as "explicit," Sanchez says that police have determined that Davis' friend Jabbor, seen in the video wearing a blood-stained tank top, was involved in the fight as well. It is not immediately clear whether he was actively participating or trying to stop his friend's beating.

Sanchez believes the blood stains on Jabbar's shirt came from a severe ear injury the suspect incurred during the fight.

"[The suspect] has either a torn ear or a bitten ear," said Sanchez.

Davis' mother, Vicki Davis, said that her son had been in Miami celebrating his birthday.

"So on his big day, the night before, he said mom, I'm just going to out, I'm just going to sit beside the water and see my birthday come in," Vicki Davis told CBS4 of Miami.

Calls made to Davis' West Philadelphia home, where she is reportedly planning her son's funeral, were not immediately returned.

Sanchez said police believe the suspect may have returned home to either New York or Virginia.

Anyone with information about the fight are asked to call Miami-Dade Crimestoppers at 305-471-TIPS.