A 21-year-old man was nabbed by Coral Gables police after he was allegedly caught on tape stealing a motorcycle, authorities announced. Lazaro Fabian Marino-Fortes is facing charges of grand theft auto and resisting an officer without violence, following an incident where he is accused of filching a 2022 blue Yamaha motorcycle, according to Local 10 News.
Marino-Fortes reportedly used an electric saw to break the bike's lock and took off with the prized possession that was parked near the 2200 block of Ponce De Leon Boulevard, and after the act was caught on camera, the Coral Gables Police Department's property crimes unit made the arrest around 9 p.m., however, as of yesterday morning, the suspect's bond hadn't been set, and he remained at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
Facing charges in prior unrelated grand theft and burglary cases, Marino-Fortes is no stranger to law enforcement, mentioned by officials, while bike thefts continue to surge in Miami-Dade and Broward counties causing consternation among residents who depend on their two-wheeled vehicles for both passion and transport, as Local 10 News reported.
One resident, Shane Powell, experienced the sting of theft when he discovered his Suzuki GSXR 600 missing; Powell, who did not have bike locks found out through his SunPass that the thief hit the road at 1:43 a.m. Wednesday and was heading south on the Florida Turnpike, Shane lamented "That bike (has) been one of my dreams since I was a kid," and "Riding a bike was my dream since a kid and I have been working on it every day," according to a Local 10 News interview.
Coral Gables Police are diligent, having tracked down Marino-Fortes after his alleged heist went viral on social media, with effort poured into the case as the detectives worked tirelessly reported on an Instagram post by the department, they're also continuing the search for the stolen motorcycle and urge anyone with knowledge to come forward and call 305-442-1600 x 5403.
