Alert identification by one homeowner and quick police follow-up work resulted in the arrest of two burglary suspects in West Kendall on Mar. 23.
The combination of citizen and police telephone relays led to Officer of the Month citations for Miami-Dade Police Hammock District Officers Flavio Escobar, Valerio Hidalgo-Gato, Ramon Hernandez and Det. Karin Bobe.
The daylight burglary at 4623 SW 127 Pl. was witnessed by Elizabeth Coleandro, who notified police that she saw the pair escape after the burglary, adding that the victimized resident, Eduardo Ibarrola, and a neighbor, Pedro Montequin, were following the suspects before police could arrive at the home.
During those chase moments, Montequin phoned Coleandro with a description of one suspect that she then gave to police upon their arrival at the burglary scene at 7:56 a.m. Officer Escobar immediately relayed to other responding units a detailed description of the pair and their direction of travel in a vehicle.
It was Officer Hidalgo-Gato who spotted one of the two suspects, based on the relayed description and placed the individual in custody, assisted by Officer Hernandez. Meanwhile, a thorough search of the area using the detailed description turned up a second suspect, sitting at the corner of SW 127th Avenue and 46th Street, next to a black nylon bag containing a six-pack of beer and an electric saw. He also was detained.
Det. Bobe arrived at the scene to interview the burglary victim, obtaining verification of both individuals who were taken to Hammocks District Station and held under burglary charges.
Capture of “two dangerous felons” through both individual and collaborative efforts of the police was cited by Maj. Hernan Organvidez as basis for honoring all four officers during a Hammocks District Citizens Advisory Committee meeting on Apr 25.
