DORAL, FLA. (WSVN) - A man who thought he was meeting a 15-year-old boy in Southwest Miami-Dade apparently had no idea he was about to be exposed in a bizarre sting operation orchestrated by YouTube personalities, police said. Then an alligator became involved.
The surreal bust that led to the arrest of 24-year-old Moises A. Flores-Coello was spearheaded by social media personalities Vitaly and Adin Ross, using hidden cameras, as part of an ongoing internet series on Vitaly’s streaming channel where he attempts to bait and catch predators.
Police called it a “vigilante-style” operation that is dangerous and should be left to professionals.
“You have no idea what these people are capable of when they are inserted into desperate situations,” said MDPD Detective Andre Martin. “You don’t know if they’re armed with weapons, you don’t know what they’re willing to do.”
Luckily, things ended safely in this case. Police were able to take Flores-Coello into custody without incident.
Prior to his arrest, Flores-Coello was seen live in a live stream entering a rented home in the area of Southwest 52nd Court and 80th Street with an individual who, police said, he thought was a 15-year-old boy he had been been chatting with over an app.
The suspect is seen attempting to cuddle, kiss and touch the young man posing as the teen.
All of a sudden, Vitaly and Ross made themselves known and turned the tables on the suspect.
“Yay! Don’t move, don’t move. We just wanted to have some fun, too,” said one of the influencers.
The duo gathered around Flores-Coello and at one point read the alleged messages he exchanged with the person he thought was only a teenager.
“‘I hope me being 15 isn’t an issue for you,’ and you respond, ‘Good boy.’ Hey, just be honest with us,” said one of the influencers.
Then the hosts brought out an alligator and seemed to threatened the suspect with the reptile.
“Take a good look in there. Take a good freaking look at that,” said one of the influencers as he held the gator near Flores-Coello.
“Cops or gator?” said the other influencer.
Eventually, Miami-Dade Police were called. Officers responded to the home shortly after.
“I can debrief with whoever wants to. He has all the evidence,” one of the influencers is seen telling officers.
Flores-Coello was put in handcuffs and booked into jail.
Detectives said that after interviewing the suspect, he admitted his intentions with the individual he thought was a minor.
“There are many laws and many standards that dictate how an investigation is conducted,” said Martin.
Police indicated this stunt may have done more harm than good.
“If you involved yourself in something like this, you may be opening yourself up to prosecution,” said Martin. “You may be tainting a case. You may be damaging evidence that is later going to cause the individual that you are trying to get off the streets to walk out of jail free.”
Flores-Coello is facing a charge of traveling to meet a minor for sex. He is expected to appear in court in the coming days.
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