A 27-year-old Miami woman is in jail after police say an overnight meet-up that started at Haulover Beach turned into an armed robbery, a forced drive and, ultimately, an arrest on Interstate 95. According to an arrest report, she is facing armed kidnapping and armed robbery charges and is being held without bond.
What police say happened
According to an arrest report obtained by Local 10, the case landed in officers' laps when the victim walked into the Miami Beach Police Department shortly before 9 a.m. on May 15 and reported that he had been robbed at gunpoint and forced to drive earlier that morning.
The man told detectives he had met the woman and another person at Haulover Beach on the evening of May 14 and agreed to go with them to an Airbnb on Ocean Drive. The report described both people he met as "African American transgender females." Investigators say that around 6:30 a.m., an argument broke out, and the woman allegedly pulled a gun, demanded money and punched the victim. Fearing for his safety, he told police he handed over $100.
"You wasted my night," the arrest report quotes the suspect as telling the victim, according to Local 10.
Detectives say they traced a phone number saved in the victim's contacts to the suspect, then reviewed surveillance footage and prior law-enforcement records. They later spotted her driving in the 500 block of Northwest 95th Street in Miami, where officers say a gray pistol was visible inside a purse on the front passenger seat.
After taking her into custody, investigators noted tattoos that they said matched surveillance images and reported that she was transported to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. A separate Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office report also links her to an alleged forced-entry burglary at an ex-boyfriend's home.
How courts have handled similar cases
Cases where victims are ordered to drive can get legally tricky, and judges do not always agree on when that crosses the line into kidnapping. As reported by NBC6, a recent Miami Beach case saw a judge find there was no probable cause for a kidnapping charge after investigators said the riders had ordered the ride themselves. Prosecutors in that case said the decision could change if more evidence, such as a recovered weapon, turns up.
What's next
McKenziee is listed in the arrest record as being held at the Metrowest Detention Center without bond while the investigation continues. Prosecutors are expected to review the arrest reports and surveillance as they decide whether to file formal charges in Miami-Dade courts.
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