MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - Police have arrested a man who, they said, is responsible for a robbery and sexual battery case in Miami Beach.
Pedro Tomayo, 37, is suspected of approaching a man and a woman armed with a knife near the Third Street lifeguard stand just after 3 a.m. on Aug. 5.
“He punches the male victim, knocks and forces him down to the ground, takes his jewelry and then instructs him to walk towards the ocean,” Miami Beach Police officer Ernesto Rodriguez said.
According to officials, Tomayo then forced the woman down onto the sand.
“He pushes the knife, presses it up against her back, forces her down to the ground. At the point, he digitally penetrates her, removes a necklace with a unique pendant that she has on while threatening her and ultimately flees the scene,” Rodriguez said.
Investigators used surveillance footage to locate the subject who was seen riding a bicycle in the area before and after the incident.
The sexual battery was so savage, it prompted criminal court judge Mindy Glazer to say, “From reading this, this is why I didn’t go for a walk on the beach this morning at 5:30 a.m. when I woke up.”
Tomayo was spotted in the area of Sixth Street and Meridian Avenue the following day on the same bike. He was also wearing one of the necklaces that was reported stolen from the victims.
The arrest form read in part, “The defendant’s tattoos were matched up with ones seen on the surveillance video and he was in possession of a black knife, similar to the one described by the victims. Finally, upon being searched, the female victim’s chain was located around the defendant’s neck.”
“And once he’s stopped, he’s actually wearing that necklace with that unique pendant that he had stolen from the victim. He admits to being in the area, although denies any involvement in this particular case,” Rodriguez said.
He has since been charged with armed robbery and sexual battery.
The Miami Beach Police Department is encouraging any other possible victims to come forward.
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