Early Tuesday morning, an incident of violence shook the Deerfield Beach community when a woman was carjacked at gunpoint while at a local gas station. Local 10 News reports that the 28-year-old victim was attending to her car at a Chevron on West Hillsboro Boulevard, around 2 a.m., when the attack occurred.
While the victim momentarily stepped away from her vehicle, a man, identified by police as Elias Orlando Caldoza, approached her, as police said, wielding a firearm and concealed behind a black mask. The assailant, amid the shadowy veil of night, demanded her keys and iPhone 14—a chilling demand that left her no recourse but to comply. Chased until it finally crashed near Sample Road and the Sawgrass Expressway, Margate police were already in pursuit after Caldoza fled in the victim's white Volkswagen Jetta.
The Kiss 95.1 details how the suspect attempted a futile escape on foot after the accident but was apprehended by the Coral Springs police. Caldoza's attempt to evade justice was short-lived, as his freedom succumbed to the law's unyielding grasp.
Further investigation by authorities revealed a history marred by similar transgressions. The suspect is reportedly serving probation for an earlier auto theft and carries the severe designation of a "violent felony offender of special concern." Now facing a litany of charges including armed robbery/carjacking, firearm possession by a convicted felon, and violation of probation, along with the additional charge of wearing a mask while committing a felony, Caldoza's legal troubles are mounting.
