Surveillance video newly released by police shows a brazen robbery in northeast Miami-Dade, where two men shoved teenagers off electric scooters and took off on the stolen rides. The robbery happened Sunday shortly after 4 p.m. near Northeast 163rd Street and 12th Avenue, according to police, who shared the clip Monday as they search for the suspects.
In the footage, the teens are riding along when two men on what appear to be electric bicycles roll up, shove them to the ground and then hop on the scooters, according to Local 10. A father of one of the teens told the outlet his son was threatened during the encounter and said the scooters were worth about $600 and $1,000. Investigators have circulated the video among detectives as they work to put names to the faces.
Police are asking anyone with information to contact Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS or send an anonymous tip online, per Crime Stoppers of Miami-Dade and the Florida Keys. Tips can be submitted by phone or through the website's form.
What the footage shows
The surveillance clip captures the two men riding up alongside the teens, then using a quick shove to knock them off the scooters before jumping on and speeding away. Police say the suspects appeared to be on electric bicycles and were gone before officers reached the scene, according to Local 10. Detectives are now combing through the video frame by frame in hopes of identifying the pair.
A pattern across South Florida
Local outlets have documented similar grab-and-go thefts across South Florida, where stand-alone scooters and e-bikes left in public or outside homes have become easy marks. For example, WPTV aired video of a scooter swiped from a West Boynton property, and NBC 6 reported on a case where a thief yanked a docked e-scooter free. Together, those clips show how quickly a micromobility ride can disappear if it is left unattended and unsecured.
How riders can protect their scooters
Owners are urged to stack their defenses. That can include locking the ignition or removing the key, chaining the frame to a solid object with a heavy-duty lock, using alarms or GPS trackers and storing scooters indoors whenever possible. Keeping clear photos and serial numbers on file can also give police a better shot at tracking a stolen scooter. None of these steps is foolproof, but they make a quick snatch-and-go theft a lot harder to pull off.
Anyone who recognizes the suspects or has video of the robbery is asked to contact Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS or submit a tip at CrimeStoppers305.com. Police say the investigation is active, and they plan to follow up on any leads that could point them to an arrest.
