Opa-locka Mom Accused of Using 13-Year-Old as Getaway Driver After Store Robbery

A 41-year-old Opa-locka woman is facing armed robbery and child abuse charges after police say she threatened to shoot a store employee, then had her 13-year-old daughter drive the getaway car with a 4-year-old also inside. Aviouse Elona Lucas was taken into custody Wednesday afternoon and transported to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a $10,000 bond.

According to WSVN 7News, Opa-locka police officers responded to the Advance Auto Parts store per an arrest report after Lucas allegedly entered the shop, took several items, and passed the point of sale without attempting to pay. When an employee tried to stop her, police say Lucas placed her hand near the purse area of her clothing and warned him, “I have a gun and will shoot,” according to investigators. The employee told police he stopped following her because he feared for his safety, and he later identified Lucas as the person who stole the merchandise and threatened him, per police.

Local 10 News reports the robbery occurred at approximately 4:15 p.m. on Wednesday at the Advance Auto Parts location at 13400 NW 27th Avenue in Opa-locka. Local 10 says Lucas fled the scene in a gray BMW that carried two other occupants, including a driver, and Opa-locka police issued a BOLO for the vehicle. Advance Auto Parts, which the company reports operates 4,308 stores across North America, Florida, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, was the target of the theft.

Children Allegedly Used in the Escape

Police say the store employee provided officers with the BMW's license plate information, which allowed them to trace the vehicle to Lucas's home on Northwest 142nd Lane, where they located her and the car, the station's report notes. During questioning, NBC6 Miami reported that Lucas confessed to stealing the items, reaching into her purse area to frighten the employee into believing she had a gun, and having her 13-year-old daughter drive the car away from the scene. Police say her 4-year-old child was also inside the BMW during the escape.

Detaining Lucas, officers determined the vehicle held two other occupants beyond the suspect herself, one of whom was behind the wheel. That detail, paired with her alleged admission, forms the basis for the child-related charges layered on top of the robbery count. Lucas was ordered to stay away from the victim and the Advance Auto Parts store as part of her release conditions.

Charges and Potential Penalties

Lucas faces one count of armed robbery with a weapon, two counts of child abuse without great bodily harm, and two counts of contributing to the delinquency or dependency of a child. Under Florida Statute § 812.13, armed robbery is a first-degree felony carrying a maximum penalty of up to 30 years or life in state prison, according to the Brancato Law Firm. Notably, Florida law treats a verbal claim of having a gun combined with a threatening gesture as sufficient to meet the armed robbery threshold even without a weapon being recovered.

The child abuse counts fall under Florida Statute § 827.03(2)(c), a third-degree felony punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a $5,000 fine per count, as outlined by Richard Hornsby, P.A. Separately, contributing to the delinquency or dependency of a child under Florida Statute § 827.04 is a first-degree misdemeanor, carrying up to a year in county jail and a $1,000 fine per count, according to Hanlon Law.

A City With a High Crime Rate

The case adds to a string of robbery-related incidents Opa-locka police have handled in recent months, including a botched robbery that ended in gunfire near the Mirage at Sailboat Cove, detailed in Hoodline's earlier report on the shooting. An analysis of FBI crime data by NeighborhoodScout found Opa-locka's total crime rate at 54 per 1,000 residents as of October 2025, a figure the analysis says places the city's crime frequency higher than 99 percent of Florida communities, per NeighborhoodScout.

The Opa-locka Police Department has been led by Chief Dr. Robin R. Starks since she was sworn into office in September 2025, according to city documents. It remains unclear from available records whether investigators recovered any weapon during their search or whether Florida's child welfare agency has opened a separate custody review tied to the two children allegedly involved in the getaway. Lucas remains held on the $10,000 bond pending further proceedings.