HomeMy Public PortalAboutLTC 072-2017 Bal Harbour Police Department - April 13, 2017 Incident inside the Security DistrictBAL HARBOUR
- VILLAGE -
OFFICE OF THE VILLAGE MANAGER
LETTER TO COUNCIL
NO. 072-2017
To: Mayor Gabriel Groisman and Members
uofftthe Village Council
From: Jorge M. Gonzalez, Village Manager
Date: April 13, 2017
Subject: Bal Harbour Police Department - April 13, 2017 Incident inside the
Security District
The purpose of this Letter to Council (LTC) is to share with you the details of an incident
which occurred in the early morning hours of April 13, 2017 inside the security district.
Just before 1:00 a.m., the Town of Bay Harbor Islands (BHI) Police Department was alerted
via their License Plate Reader (LPR) system of a stolen vehicle entering the islands along
the Broad Causeway. A Bay Harbor Islands police officer observed the vehicle as ittraveled
east on 96th Street and began to follow it, while this officer advised all police agencies in
the area. The vehicle was followed shortly into the Town of Surfside and then north on
Collins Avenue into Bal Harbour Village. The stolen vehicle then entered the parking lot
under the Haulover Bridge, came to an abrupt stop and two males and a female began to
flee from the vehicle. The female was apprehended by the driveway of the Quarzo Hotel
as the two male suspects ran north along the fence located to the rear of the Quarzo Hotel,
scaling the fence and running west into the security district.
The Bal Harbour Police Department established a containment perimeter surrounding the
entire security district with police officers from several other agencies responding to assist.
As the search for the suspects was conducted, one male suspect was discovered in front
of 280 Bal Bay Drive and apprehended without further incident. The remaining male
suspect was located hiding in the hedges on the north side of 145 Biscay Drive a shorttime
later and also apprehended without further incident.
Further investigation revealed that the vehicle had been stolen as a result of an armed
carjacking that occurred in the City of Miami on April 9, 2017. The City of Miami Police
detectives responded to the scene in Bal Harbour Village and their investigation continues.
Once the suspects were in custody, the canine teams returned to the area and conducted
a search for evidence to include any possible firearms. A subsequent evidence search was
conducted by patrol officers at daybreak and no firearms were located nor any other items
of evidentiary value.
LTC 072-2017: Bal Harbour Police Department - April 13, 2017 Incident inside the Security District
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The three suspects were taken into custody by the Town of Bay Harbor Islands and the City
of Miami Police Departments.
It should be noted that the successful outcome of this incident was a result of proactive
policing and an LPR system which detected the presence of this vehicle as it entered the
area. The suspects fled through various municipal jurisdictions before fleeing into the
security district in an attempt to avoid apprehension.
Nonetheless, since the auto thefts that occurred in the Village on April 3, 2017, the Bal
Harbour Police Department has altered the patrol tactics for police officers inside the
security district. The tactics involve a greater concentration along Park Drive as well as
enhanced staffing during specific times. The Police Department has also begun a re-
assessment of all security measures within the district and shall make their
recommendations to me once completed.
We have outreached to communicate with several residents in the security district to alert
them of our efforts and advise them of what occurred today. In addition, we shall be
scheduling a meeting with representatives from Kent Security to ensure that their staff
remain alert and vigilant and work closely with the Police Department when issues arise.
If you have any questions or need an additional information, please feel free to let me or
Acting Chief De La Rosa know.
JMG/MdlR