COCONUT GROVE, FLA. (WSVN) - Police are searching for at least two crooks driving pickup trucks who robbed a woman of her purse containing several thousand dollars in cash in the parking lot of her home in Coconut Grove.
Audrey Kostka, 44, was returning home from the bank after making a withdrawal on March 13 when she was robbed by crooks in two pickup trucks.
“It has changed my life in many ways,” Kostka said. “I live in a gated community, and who would ever think that this would happen in my parking lot?”
Surveillance video showed a black pickup truck stopped in the middle of the gate’s path, so it could stay open until the robbery happened.
“She decided to withdraw approximately $10,000 in U.S. currency from a nearby Bank of America,” City of Miami Police spokesperson Kiara Delva said.
Kostka said she withdrew the cash to have handy during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Something in my mind just told me, ‘Just take out some money and put in a safe,'” she said. “When they gave the money to me, it was in front a of a clear window where everybody could see, and so obviously those gentlemen saw, and they must’ve followed me.”
Kostka drove her vehicle to where she lives, unaware that crooks in two separate trucks were behind her lurking, casing and waiting to strike.
After unloading her bags and as she headed for home, Kostka said the crooks “jumped me from the back, pushed me, grabbed my arm and then stole my purse.”
“They did this in broad daylight, so they’re quite brazen,” Delva said.
Kostka, who was not hurt in the incident, said she feels violated following the robbery.
“I’m extremely stressed out right now because, financially, I am in trouble,” she said.
Police said they are looking for at least two men who are involved in the robbery.
If you have any information on this 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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