Miami-Dade law enforcement officials are warning local residents to be careful after making bank transactions. Police are currently seeking four women who allegedly followed and robbed Carlos Torres last month. Torres went to his bank on April 15, withdrawing cash, and then returned to his vehicle. He drove to a nearby gas station and filled up his tank. When Torres went inside briefly to pay for the gas, investigators say that four unidentified women pulled up alongside his vehicle in a black Chevy Traverse. One of the women who was in the Chevy quickly went inside to distract Torres. The others robbed his car, opening the driver's side door of his vehicle. The women left with $500 in cash, which Torres had left in an envelope inside the car. He had not locked his car when he went inside the gas station to pay.
The incident ''was all preplanned...They positioned the car strategically so the victim couldn't see what's going on,'' said Miami-Dade Detective Otto Ablanedo, describing the crime. The theft was caught on the surveillance tape of the BP gas station.
Detective Ablanedo warns area residents to be vigilant, because the women are "casing banks." At least one of the suspects has been spotted again on the surveillance video of an area bank. The detective believes that the suspects are watching the bank parking lot for customers, then following those who make a substantial withdrawal. To avoid being the victim of such a crime, bank customers should be extra vigilant, especially with regard to anyone who may be following them. Police remind Miami residents to lock their vehicles whenever they are unattended - even if the driver is leaving the car only briefly, as Torres had planned to - and always lock the doors when the car contains anything of value. Cash, in particular, is often difficult or impossible to recover.
A report on these incidents is available here.
If you have been arrested for a robbery or other theft crime, contact the Miami shoplifting defense lawyers at Musca Law.
