"Luck Runs Out for Crime Duo"
By Sgt. R. Thomas Hopkins, Public Information Officer

Just last month, I wrote an article for this paper informing its readers as to the presence of auto burglaries occurring in our community. I also addressed numerous precautions one should take to help reduce and prevent these criminal acts. The bad news is that we actually experienced an above average number of cars broken into during the month of July.

Detectives decided to begin all night surveillances in locations where there seemed a high probability or repeat incidence. The first night of surveillance met with mixed results. The burglars were not caught but there weren't any cars broken into. The next night would end quite differently.  

Detectives Thao Doan and Keith Burrows decided to stake out the parking garage of Winston Towers 400, located at 231 - 174th Street. At about 2:30 a.m. a vehicle drove into this parking garage. The vehicle drove close to Detective Burrows sitting in his undercover vehicle. The vehicle then backed up and parked in a spot about 50 feet away. Two young men exited this vehicle and began walking towards Detective Burrows vehicle. One of the young men shined a flashlight into the vehicle as they tried to open the doors. Being the calm gentleman that he is, Detective Keith Burrows simply rolled down his window and asked "Can I help you?" With eyes as wide as saucers, the two turned and ran. Detective Burrows was able to chase one down and place him under arrest. Regrettably, the other one has been able to temporarily elude his arrest. It was discovered that these two thieves had driven a stolen car to the scene. This stolen car also contained burglary tools including gloves and porcelain chips to break the windows of their intended next victim vehicle.

The good news is that these two are the ones responsible for at least a dozen crimes in our city. Detectives of the Sunny Isles Beach Police Department have also been able to identify the escaped subject and are working zealously to place in him custody. It is believed that these two are part of a larger group responsible for similar auto crimes throughout the county.  

Your police department will endeavor to not only catch those responsible for committing crimes in our city but also catch them in the act. We urge the public to be our extra eyes and notify us when they observe suspicious people in our parking lots even if that person turns out to be an undercover police officer.







TOP