A City of Miami police sergeant stepped into a convenience store Tuesday afternoon and came back out to find his marked patrol car gone — along with his department-issued rifle and tactical vest still inside. Hours later, 36-year-old Rodne Joseph was in handcuffs, accused of taking the cruiser and driving it miles from where it had been parked.
According to CBS News, the sergeant parked the cruiser outside the store and went inside, only to discover it missing when he returned a few minutes later. The theft occurred around 1:20 p.m. Tuesday near Northeast Second Avenue and Northeast 55th Terrace, per the arrest report cited by the outlet. The rifle and bulletproof vest remained inside the car when it disappeared, police confirmed.
Radio Alert Triggers a Citywide Search
The sergeant broadcast a radio alert to surrounding units reporting the vehicle stolen, and multiple law enforcement agencies issued a be-on-the-lookout notice describing a suspect in a dark shirt and light blue jeans, according to the arrest report. Miami's Real Time Crime Center tracked the cruiser traveling north along Northeast Second Avenue and Northeast 77th Street as officers fanned out across the area.
By around 3 p.m., a North Miami police officer spotted the cruiser parked and unoccupied in front of a home near Northeast 137th Street and 5th Avenue, the report states. City of Miami Police Department auto-theft detectives then responded to secure the scene while investigators pieced together how the car got there.
Surveillance Footage and an Admission
Convenience store surveillance video showed a man matching the alert description walking south toward the cruiser's driver's door just before it pulled away northbound, according to the arrest report. NBC 6 South Florida reports that an officer spotted a man matching that same description walking toward the recovered cruiser around 3:15 p.m. near Northeast Fifth Avenue and Northeast 137th Street.
Joseph admitted taking the patrol vehicle, per the affidavit. He told investigators, “I saw the police car there, so I took it, I parked it there because I live there,” according to the same NBC 6 account. The cruiser was impounded and towed to the city auto pound for forensic processing, the arrest report notes.
Felony Charges and Hospital Stop Before Booking
Joseph now faces felony charges including grand theft of a vehicle, grand theft of a firearm, armed burglary of an unoccupied conveyance, and depriving an officer of means of protection or communication, per the arrest report. Before booking, he was transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital for treatment of minor, pre-existing hand injuries, investigators said. As of Wednesday morning, his bond had not yet been set.
The case echoes a separate incident in Broward County, where deputies recovered a stolen patrol car in St. Lucie County and found a rifle inside that had been secured and not accessed by the suspect, according to NBC 6. The Broward Sheriff's Office launched an internal affairs investigation in September to determine whether agency policy had been violated in that case.
