Dolphins’ Marshall Briefly Detained Over Fare

The incident began around 5 a.m.  Nov. 14 at Fort Lauderdale International Airport and was resolved at a Port Everglades security check point hours later. Marshall had attended a 30th birthday party for teammate Karlos Dansby at the Fontainebleau on Miami Beach. Peterson Pierre, a driver for Miami Springs Taxi Company, picked him up at the resort and, after first going to Miami International Airport, they eventually ended up at the Fort Lauderdale airport.

“He didn’t know where he wanted to go,” Pierre told South Florida Times on Monday. “When I woke him up and told him he had to pay, he said he wasn’t and started arguing for me to take him home.”

Marshall could not be reached for comment. He told deputies there had been a misunderstanding due to Pierre’s accent, according to the police report.

“Marshall said the cab driver was difficult to understand because of his thick accent and refused to take him home,” the report states. “He indicated that, instead of continuing to argue with him, he simply walked away from him and he entered another cab to go home.”

According to the police report and Pierre’s accounts, Marshall said he had to use the restroom and then got out of Pierre’s cab. He entered the airport lobby and then Pierre saw him leave through a different exit and jump into another cab.

Marshall’s agent Kennard McGuire denied the Dolphins receiver did anything wrong.

“Completely innocent,” McGuire said in an e-mail to South Florida Times. “It was a communication issue, more of a language barrier, in not understanding Mr. Marshall's destination.”

McGuire said Marshall “was simply getting someone to help translate.”

Pierre said he made repeated demands to Marshall for payment but Marshall told him he was not going to pay him and jumped into a different cab that was driven by Yenbeve Saint-Remy of the Yellow Cab Company.

Pierre said he went to that cab and told Saint-Remy what happened. He said he again demanded payment from Marshall, who again turned him down and instructed Saint-Remy to take him home.

Pierre said he summoned deputies as Saint-Remy drove off with Marshall and reported that the passenger in the Yellow Cab was fleeing to evade paying a fare. The police report says Saint-Remy reported what was taking place to his dispatcher, who told him to stop at the first law enforcement officer he saw.

Instead of taking Marshall to his Southwest Ranches home, Saint-Remy drove him to a Port Everglades security checkpoint. There he repeatedly sounded his horn to get deputies attention and told them his passenger was “wanted by police,” the report says.

Marshall was handcuffed and placed in the back seat of a BSO cruiser. Other deputies from the airport arrived on the scene, along with Pierre.

Marshall said he was confused and could not understand Pierre, due to his heavy accent and simply wanted to be taken home and not to the airport, according to the report.

After some discussion, Marshall agreed to pay Pierre his $142 fare and an undetermined fare amount to Saint-Remy. He was released from custody, apologized to both cab drivers and the matter was resolved, the report says.

Marshall has had a number of contacts with the law, including a bloody domestic dispute with his wife this past April.

This latest incident happened hours after the Dolphins defeated the Washington Redskins 20-9 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens for the team’s second win of the season. Marshall had seven catches for 96 yards.

During an interview, Pierre said he did not know who Marshall was or that he was a professional athlete until being contacted by a South Florida Times reporter. He said his concern was that he lost valuable time from work while the dispute was being resolved.

*Pictured above is Miami Dolphins wide receiver Brandon Marshall