HIALEAH, FLA. (WSVN) - A thief was caught on video swiping a bottle from a family-owned liquor store in Hialeah.
The person in question appeared to be wearing a bus driver’s uniform.
An elderly employee tried to flag her down, but the woman blew right by.
Frank Fernandez of Liqour Time said, “To me, it looked like a full Miami-Dade transit worker uniform.”
Fernandez described the criminal’s steps.
“So she comes over, she grabs a bottle of Patron,” he said.
According to the Fernandez family, this is the second day in a row she’s committed a theft.
He said his mother and father were working Tuesday when she pulled her first stunt.
“She grabs a bottle,” he said.
The video showed she pretended to pay for one bottle but hid another and shoplifted it.
Fernandez said his suspicious mother was initially unsure at first if a theft took place.
But Wednesday, the woman was back.
Fernandez said, “Comes over here, looks, makes sure my mom’s distracted.”
He said she came with an accomplice, a man who tried to steer attention away from his friend by asking about cigarettes as she boosted booze.
Fernandez said, “In times like this, we all need to unite together instead of trying to hurt each other. Somebody as brazen as her, she comes in yesterday, gets away with it, thinks she’s gonna get away with it today.”
Hialeah police were called and said they will be investigating.
A picture was sent along with some video from Fernandez’s several cameras to Miami-Dade transit officials to see if they can identify the alleged thief in bus-wear.
They said their staff is looking into it.
It’s bad enough that Liquor Time, a 20-plus-year small business, has to put up with crime during a pandemic.
But already this week, they’ve had their share of problems.
Someone slammed his car into Liquor Time, causing multiple bottles of booze on the wall to come tumbling down, shattering and spilling.
“Car came running into the store without putting his breaks on,” Fernandez said.
No one was hurt in the incident.
The theft, of course, wasn’t an accident.
Fernandez said, “If she is employed by Miami-Dade County, then they need to do the right thing. There’s plenty of people right now that have been laid off, that can absolutely take her spot.”
Hialeah police told the family they would be at the store to investigate within days.
If you have any information on this theft, 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.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.