A 41-year-old man is in jail after Miami-Dade sheriff’s deputies say he went on a late-night gear grab in South Miami Heights, targeting two vehicles belonging to federal law-enforcement officers and walking off with official equipment, including a badge, vest and an ICE sweater.
The back-to-back burglaries happened within about an hour of each other near Southwest 180th Street and 117th Avenue, according to authorities. Deputies say they later tracked the suspect to his home, where they found him hiding on the roof of a backyard garage shed. Officers recovered at least some of the stolen gear nearby. The man is now facing felony counts and remains in county custody while the case moves forward.
The Roof Hideout And The Recovered Gear
According to a Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office arrest report, the two victims are neighbors and federal officers, one with the Federal Bureau of Prisons and one with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Investigators say the suspect lives nearby as well.
Deputies say one vehicle was stripped of an FBOP vest carrier, ID holder, hat and badge. From the other, investigators say the suspect took a black sweater with “Police ICE” printed on the back, a police radio charger and a fleet fuel card.
Surveillance video, according to the arrest report, shows the man rolling up on an electric scooter and breaking into a car. A deputy later spotted him on Wednesday, and when the deputy tried to make contact, the suspect allegedly bolted into his backyard.
Officers say they eventually found him trying to conceal himself on the roof of a light-colored garage shed. The ICE sweater was found inside the open shed, and authorities say the FBOP equipment was recovered after they obtained a search warrant. Jail records list two counts of burglary and one count of fleeing and eluding. The details were first reported by WPLG Local 10.
Where He Is Now
Jail records show the suspect was booked into Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a $22,500 bond, with a hold listed for another unspecified agency.
Turner Guilford Knight is Miami-Dade County’s main pretrial detention facility and processes most local bookings, according to the Miami-Dade Corrections & Rehabilitation Department. The case remains under investigation, and prosecutors will decide on formal charges.
Legal Stakes
State law treats burglary and fleeing from police as serious felonies. Florida defines burglary at § 810.02, with burglary of an occupied vehicle carrying higher felony exposure and burglary of an unoccupied vehicle typically charged as a third-degree felony, according to the Florida Senate.
Fleeing or attempting to elude a law-enforcement officer is covered at § 316.1935 and can also be charged as a felony, with tougher penalties for aggravated fleeing, as outlined by the Florida Senate.
Investigators say the recovered gear is being processed as evidence and that their probe is ongoing. For more details on the arrest, see the report from WPLG Local 10.
