At Miami International Airport, the baggage carousel allegedly became a repeat stop for two men accused of walking away with travelers' luggage worth $27,205. The arrests came Thursday, months after investigators say the alleged thefts were carried out across several April incidents at MIA.
According to an arrest-report account by WPLG Local 10, David Williams, 44, of Miami, and Alexander Oscar, 46, allegedly entered through the curbside arrivals area on multiple occasions, went to baggage carousels, removed bags and left the terminal in waiting vehicles. Surveillance footage is central to the case, investigators said.
The allegations describe a pattern rather than a single mistaken pickup. Deputies said one incident involved luggage valued at $6,305 from Carousel 26, while another involved about $4,000 from that same carousel; investigators also tied Williams to alleged removals from Carousels 22, 23 and 25.
Six Grand Theft Counts For One Suspect
Jail records cited by Local 10 show Williams faces six counts of third-degree grand theft, while Oscar faces two. Both were being held at Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center as of Friday afternoon, with Williams' bond set at $20,000 and Oscar's at $7,500.
The report also said Williams had previously been arrested on an unrelated armed-robbery-with-a-deadly-weapon count. That earlier arrest is separate from the airport case, and the current charges are allegations; neither man has been found guilty in this case.
MIA Has Seen Similar Carousel Cases
The arrests follow another MIA luggage case reported in May, when Local 10 reported that Michael Tilley and a woman were accused of grabbing two bags from an American Airlines carousel. Investigators said Tilley later pawned shoes that had been inside the luggage.
During the holiday travel season, CBS Miami reported that Darryl Clayton faced five third-degree theft charges after allegedly taking suitcases without a valid boarding pass or baggage-claim tags. The repeated cases underscore how a bag that disappears from a carousel can quickly become the focus of a criminal investigation.
What Travelers Should Do If A Bag Vanishes
Miami International Airport says travelers who believe property was stolen should file a stolen-property report with Miami-Dade Airport Police, rather than treating the disappearance as only a lost-bag issue. The airport's lost-and-found guidance also directs passengers to its Lost and Found facility in North Terminal D, Level 4, which is open daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
For the two men accused in this case, the next steps will play out in court. The allegations remain subject to the legal process, including the presumption of innocence.
