A 17-year-old girl is accused of luring a man into the backyard of a northwest Miami-Dade home on Wednesday, where deputies say she and two males pistol-whipped him and robbed him at gunpoint. The victim was struck in the forehead, and deputies say about $500 was taken from his vehicle before he escaped and called 911.
How Deputies Say The Backyard Robbery Went Down
According to an arrest report, the victim had met Karmen Elizabeth Pena about two weeks earlier and agreed to meet her at a house in the 800 block of Northwest 140th Street. Deputies say Pena led him into the backyard, where two men confronted him: one armed with an AR-15-style rifle and the other masked and carrying a handgun. The report says the victim was pistol-whipped, Pena pulled a gun during the confrontation, and the trio forced him at gunpoint back to the front of the home and into his vehicle while demanding cash and digital payments. A passing car startled the suspects, and the victim fled and hid before calling authorities, as reported by Local10.
Charges And Legal Stakes
Deputies identified one suspect as 22-year-old Max Widley Leonel. Leonel was arrested on counts that include armed robbery, aggravated battery, kidnapping while armed with a firearm and armed burglary, and Pena faces similar charges, the arrest record says. Under Florida law, robbery committed while the offender carries a firearm is treated as a first-degree felony, per Florida Statutes, and aggravated battery involving a deadly weapon is a second-degree felony, per Florida Statutes, meaning the allegations carry significant prison exposure if convictions follow. The arrest report is the basis for the charges, and deputies say the investigation remains active.
Who Was Arrested And Where The Case Stands
Deputies say Pena was taken into custody outside the home, and Leonel was identified at the scene and later booked. Online jail records referenced in the report show Leonel remained held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center with bond listed as "to be set," and authorities have not released additional suspect names or a motive, according to Local10.
The Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office is handling the ongoing probe. Investigators did not immediately release more details late Wednesday and said they would update the case as it develops.
