Key Bicayne police say they’ve linked a reported armed robbery of two boys Monday to a string of five vehicle break-ins that took place minutes before elsewhere on the island. Officials said “persons of interest” had been identified as well as a suspect vehicle.
“I feel like we’re making excellent progress and I’m confident we will have a closure to this case with some arrests,” said Deputy Chief Jason Younes.
Younes declined to identify the subject vehicle, but said it was consistent with witness descriptions. One of the boys said the car was a four-door, gray medium-sized sedan.
One of the two boys said that five or six armed, masked men threatened them with guns and took their smartphones and portable speaker early Monday morning. The youths were unharmed.
The car break-ins took place on Sunrise Drive, police said. Sunrise parallels East Enid Drive, where the boys reported the armed robbery. None of the vehicles were stolen.
Younes said some vehicles had been rummaged through, while others had property taken. He praised residents for quickly passing along information, saying the tips have been useful.
He added that offices were able to rule out an instance of a person filming houses elsewhere on the island. Younes said officers determined the filming was part of a legitimate security patrol.
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Younes said the department has been working closely with neighboring law enforcement agencies and said the families of the two boys have been providing critical information to officers.
“We’ve received good evidence and tips to help solve these crimes,” he said.
Tony Winton is the editor-in-chief of the Key Biscayne Independent and president of Miami Fourth Estate, Inc. He worked previously at The Associated Press for three decades winning multiple Edward R. Murrow awards. He was president of the News Media Guild, a journalism union, for 10 years. Born in Chicago, he is a graduate of Columbia University. His interests are photography and technology, sailing, cooking, and science fiction.