Miami-Dade County authorities apprehended two individuals for stealing forklifts worth half a million dollars from a local business.
Arrest reports state that Elijah Torrealba Ruiz, aged 19, and Eddie Jean-Baptiste, aged 20, are facing charges of first-degree grand theft, burglary, and criminal mischief.
At 5:19 p.m. on Sunday, August 4th, the police were informed by Forklift Parts and Equipment about a burglary in which 15 forklifts were stolen.
As per the arrest report, CEO Lazaro Suarez informed the police that the business gates are locked during non-business hours. Over the weekend, a maintenance worker noticed that the gates were open around 10 a.m. on Sunday and the lock on the front had been forcefully cut through, Suarez stated.
According to Suarez, surveillance footage captured two men scaling the main gate around 1 a.m. The suspects then used a power saw to break the lock from the inside. The thieves returned in a black Range Rover at 3 p.m. and made off with additional forklifts. The vehicle was carrying around five suspects.
After the forklifts were stolen, the detectives were able to retrieve the license plate of the Range Rover. However, upon further investigation, they discovered that the vehicle had been abandoned. Additionally, during their search, the detectives came across a dark-colored four-door BMW that was parked next to the stolen Range Rover.
Upon arriving at the investigation site, Torrealba and Jean-Baptiste were spotted by detectives as they pulled up in a dark-colored BMW, which was also the same car used during the burglary.
According to the arrest report, as soon as the two suspects spotted the police, they immediately made an illegal U-turn and accelerated away, leading to a pursuit by the officers.
According to the police, Torrealba drove recklessly during the chase, violating traffic laws by making illegal turns and running a red light.
The suspect, Torrealba, decided to abandon the vehicle and make a run for it despite the police officers’ orders to stop. Meanwhile, Jean-Baptiste opted to stay inside the car and refused to obey the officers’ instructions to step out of the vehicle.
Jean-Baptiste resisted when the officers attempted to handcuff him. Upon searching him, they discovered that he had a yale key for a forklift, as well as marijuana in his possession.
According to the police, Torrealba was apprehended in front of a gas station but put up resistance when officers attempted to handcuff him. Even after he was successfully restrained, he managed to break free while being placed in the back of a police car and fled on foot. However, the authorities eventually managed to capture him.
The Midwest Station safely transported both suspects without any trouble.
During the BMW search, the officers discovered a 9mm pistol with nine rounds in the driver’s door pocket, as reported in the arrest report. Additionally, the clothes that were utilized in the burglary were also found in the back of the car, which matched the physical description of the masked individuals observed breaking into the forklift shop.
According to the arrest report, the total worth of damages was estimated to be around $5,000.
The suspects are still in jail on bond as of Tuesday.