MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - Officials are on the hunt for an armed robber in Miami Beach.
Miami Beach Police released surveillance video of the robber, who was caught in the act, Wednesday.
Officers were dispatched to a robbery call at the Finest Vacation Inc. tour agency at 6638 Collins Ave. on Sept. 7.
According to MBPD robbery detectives, a gunman entered the business who covered his face with a white shirt and sunglasses, just before 2 p.m.
Police said the subject pointed a semi-automatic gun at a woman and demanded money. The victim cooperated and the gunman exited the business with $2,000 and got into a 2018 or 2019 white GMC Acadia that was waiting in a nearby alley.
“I’m scared, really, very, very scared,” the store’s owner Patricia Chiara said. She said the crook was in and out in a matter of 20 seconds.
Cameras captured the crook making a run for it as the owner’s daughter ran out from the back of the business.
“My daughter, she’s coming screaming,” Chiara said, “the guy running.”
Chiara has since added additional security cameras at her shop.
Investigators believe the subject and his accomplice stole a temporary tag prior to the robbery and placed it over the vehicle’s original tag.
“This is a troubling experience. It’s broad daylight, one-forty-eight in the afternoon on a sunny Miami Beach day,” MBPD spokesperson Ernesto Rodriguez said. “We need to get this criminal off the street.”
Officials said surveillance video captured the SUV’s every move throughout the city.
“We’ve been able to basically track the vehicle as it enters the city from North Bay Village, we believe,” Rodriguez said, “pulls over at some point, steals a temporary license plate and then comes to Collins Avenue.”
If you have any information on this armed robbery, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a $1,000 reward.
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