A 29-year-old man accused of pulling a gun on a food mart clerk, snatching an e-bike from a school crossing guard, and robbing a smoke shop and a food truck during a Tuesday spree is now facing multiple felony charges, along with a second man accused of joining him for one of the stickups. Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office officials say the spree unfolded across South Miami-Dade on Tuesday, leaving a trail of victims and surveillance footage that helped investigators piece together the case.
According to NBC 6 South Florida, the first robbery happened around 7:15 a.m. when Edgar Montanez-Pina and 34-year-old Alexander Reguera walked into a food mart, threatened the clerk with a gun, and forced him to open the register before making off with cash and other items. Reguera is only charged in that single incident, while Montanez-Pina is accused of continuing on alone to commit the rest of the spree, the station reports.
From there, Montanez-Pina allegedly stole an e-bike from a Miami-Dade school crossing guard who was just finishing her shift, according to the same report. He's also accused of robbing a smoke shop and taking cash from two workers at a food truck before deputies caught up with him.
Smoke Shop Clerk Talked Him Out of Taking Merchandise
The smoke shop targeted in the spree was Fumar Y Mas, located at Southwest 116th Avenue and Quail Roost Drive, where surveillance footage captured Montanez-Pina demanding cigarette boxes in Spanish at gunpoint before settling for the tip jar after the clerk talked him out of taking merchandise, according to WSVN. The outlet reports that Montanez-Pina accidentally left behind his own bag during the incident. Footage of the tip jar theft was also posted by Cutler Bay Social, a local community page that helped circulate the suspect's description across South Miami-Dade communities including Cutler Bay and Goulds, per the station's reporting.
Both men were arrested and booked into jail, and officials noted that the pair are convicted felons, NBC 6 South Florida reports. Public booking records compiled by miamidadecountymugshots.com show Montanez-Pina, whose full name is listed as Edgar Gabriel Montanez-Pina, was booked on charges including armed robbery, petit theft, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Felon-in-Possession Status Raises the Legal Stakes
Because Montanez-Pina and Reguera are convicted felons, their alleged possession of a firearm during the robberies adds a separate layer of criminal exposure. Under Florida Statute § 790.23, a convicted felon found in actual possession of a firearm faces a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison, including a mandatory three-year minimum term under the state's firearm enhancement statutes, according to attorney Richard Hornsby's legal analysis.
Armed robbery itself carries even steeper consequences. Under Florida Statute § 812.13, armed robbery committed with a firearm or deadly weapon is classified as a first-degree felony punishable by up to life in prison, carrying a Level 9 offense severity ranking under the Florida Criminal Punishment Code, per the Brancato Law Firm. Florida's so-called 10-20-Life statute, enacted in 1999, further mandates minimum prison terms of 10 years for pulling a firearm during a violent felony, 20 years for discharging one, and 25 years to life if a victim is shot or killed, according to the Ansara Law Firm.
Investigators Suspect the Pair May Be Tied to Other Cases
Officials said the pair may have been involved in other similar incidents, and they're asking anyone with information to call 305-471-2142, per NBC 6 South Florida's report. The case is being handled by the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office rather than a municipal police department, since the agency transitioned from the Miami-Dade Police Department following the election of Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz as the county's first elected sheriff in nearly 60 years, according to Axios. Voters approved restoring the constitutional sheriff role in a 2018 statewide amendment.
A Tampa-area robbery rampage also involved food trucks, smoke shops, and convenience stores. In April, federal prosecutors secured guilty pleas against a Tampa-area robbery rampage duo who hit food trucks, smoke shops, and convenience stores across Hillsborough County. And in January, federal prosecutors in Miami indicted three fugitives on kidnapping and robbery charges tied to a spree that spanned Miami-Dade and Broward counties, a case Hoodline covered after the men were linked to a cross-county crime run. Whether Montanez-Pina and Reguera will face additional charges tied to other unsolved robberies in South Miami-Dade remains unclear.
