Five men, all from Venezuela, have been charged in connection with the armed robbery of a tourist in Miami’s Design District on December 15, 2023. The suspects allegedly stole a $100,000 watch at gunpoint and fired at a law enforcement officer who attempted to stop them.
Three of the men, Larry Junior Mendez-Ruiz, Alejandro Moises, and Raynner Jorland Pacheco-Sandoval, were indicted on December 6, 2023, while co-defendants Ildemar Jose Chirinos-Torres and Briann Ricardo Hernandez-Castillo are yet to face a judge, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.
The crime occurred when the group, driving in three separate vehicles, targeted wealthy victims. Surveillance footage shows Chirinos-Torres and Hernandez-Castillo exiting their vehicle and robbing the victim at gunpoint near 90 NE 39th Street. The suspects fled the scene, and undercover Fort Lauderdale police detectives, who were investigating a separate case, followed the suspects in unmarked cars.
As the officers pursued them, Chirinos-Torres allegedly fired multiple shots at one of the detectives. Fortunately, the detective was unharmed. Pacheco-Sandoval is believed to have acted as the lookout for potential victims wearing expensive jewelry, while Mendez-Ruiz is accused of picking up Chirinos-Torres and Hernandez-Castillo after they abandoned their getaway car.
The men have been charged with conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, Hobbs Act robbery, and brandishing and discharging a firearm during a violent crime. Mendez-Ruiz, Moises, and Pacheco-Sandoval remain detained pending trial.