Man allegedly pulls a knife on Michael B. Jordan’s Brooklyn movie set. Then the situation took a racist turn

Filming for Miami Vice ’85 took a frightening turn in Brooklyn when a man allegedly pulled a butcher’s knife on a production staffer and later directed a racial slur at a crew member. Police arrested Alex Perez, 23, after the incident unfolded during a night shoot.

According to Atlanta Black Star, a staffer initially walked Perez off the set, but he allegedly pulled a large knife from his sweatshirt pocket and threatened a member of the production team. The outlet described the incident as Michael B. Jordan’s crime drama getting “a little too gritty.” Perez reportedly used the N-word against a crew member while in handcuffs. An officer arrested him at 11:17 p.m.

Footage of the confrontation obtained by TMZ shows a hooded man being tackled in the street as several bystanders gather around him. Someone can be heard shouting, “He’s got a knife!” A uniformed police officer then approaches and repeatedly orders the man to get on the ground. The roughly two-minute edited video ends with the suspect handcuffed and taken into custody.

Alex Perez faces two weapon-related charges

Perez was charged with menacing with a weapon in the second degree and criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree. He reportedly had five prior arrests, with previous charges involving alleged gang-related activity, assault with a firearm, and burglary. A charge is not a conviction, and no response from Perez was reported.

It remains unclear whether Jordan or co-star Austin Butler was on set at the time. No injuries were reported. Jordan plays detective Ricardo Tubbs, with Butler as his partner, Sonny Crockett. Joseph Kosinski directs, and filming began in New York and New Jersey earlier this month. Location shoots on open streets can bring productions close to passersby. Productions have paused work before when violence occurred near a Chicago Fire set. It is not yet known whether this shoot was affected.

Miami Vice ’85 is not due in theaters until May 2028. It revisits the NBC series that aired from 1984 to 1989. Philip Michael Thomas played Tubbs and Don Johnson played Crockett. Michael Mann brought the franchise to the big screen in 2006, with Jamie Foxx and Colin Farrell in the lead roles. The cast also includes Alden Ehrenreich, Whitney Peak and John Leguizamo, among others.

Jordan has also established himself as a director with Creed III, crediting Ryan Coogler with awakening his directorial ambitions. He is now directing and starring in a remake of The Thomas Crown Affair, which is set for release on March 5, 2027. Norman Jewison directed the 1968 original, starring Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway. Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo led a 1999 remake.