CORAL GABLES, FLA. (WSVN) - Police have arrested three men after they broke into a Coral Gables and robbed the two victims inside.
Police arrested 23-year-old Santino Fernandez, 25-year-old Kristopher Soto and 21-year-old Patrick Fernandez for the alleged robbery at a Coral Gables mansion near Girasol Avenue and Old Cutler Road.
“Your house is the one place you’re supposed to be safe in,” said Coral Gables Police Department spokesperson Kelly Denham.
According to police, at around 11:07 p.m., on June 4, police received a call from an occupant of the home after a group of individuals broke in.
Those inside included an 86-year-old woman and her caretaker. They said they heard the sound of shattering glass. According to police, one of the intruders threw a brick through one of the home’s windows.
Surveillance caught the crooks on camera.
“He’s using his shirt to pull out the drawers to try to conceal his identity, so he doesn’t leave fingerprints, and you have another subject that is now also trying to ransack what looks like an office,” said Denham.
The victims locked themselves upstairs in a room, fearing for their lives.
“She heard the brick go through the window, the glass break, and it’s got to be one of the most terrifying sounds that a homeowner can hear,” said Denham. “We had our SWAT team members that were out that night go into the home and start to search for the victim, so that we could make sure that she was safe, still not knowing if the subjects were still inside the home.”
Upon arriving to the home, officers said they saw three people fleeing on foot.
Coral Gables police then established a perimeter, and with the help of K-9 units and SWAT officers, they were able to take all three suspects into custody after six hours of searching.
All three suspects face charges of burglary and theft, while Soto and Fernandez also face a charge of resisting officers without violence.
Police returned the stolen items, which included two televisions, to the victim.
“They have just again and again said how happy they are that they live in Coral Gables and that this outcome was the best outcome for this tragic situation,” said Denham. “I think we have a reputation that we’re going to get you.”
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