Another group of seven thieves have been arrested in connection with a robbery at the home of an Asian businessman. Crime is on the rise, leading to similar arrests in South Florida, authorities said.
Police said Wednesday that seven suspects were arrested in December, WPTV reported.
The police investigation began in November after a safe, $10,000 and several pieces of jewelry were stolen in a Port St. Lucie home burglary.
On November 27, police released surveillance footage of some of the suspects targeting a home.
Witnesses helped investigators identify some of the vehicles involved, and on Dec. 5, the Broward Sheriff's Office Theft Enforcement Team located several vehicles, including one associated with the Port St. Lucie theft. monitoring has begun.
According to authorities, detectives saw the suspects break into a home in Doral, and while the driver waited, three suspects forced entry, and three others kept watch in the neighborhood. It was announced that he had accepted the role.
All seven suspects were taken into custody after the robbery.
One of the suspects, Angel Alejandro Rojas Morales, 20, is from Colombia and entered the United States illegally from Mexico in 2023, Port St. Lucie police said.
Rojas-Morales faces charges including robbery, grand larceny and criminal mischief and remained in the St. Lucie County Jail on Thursday pending an immigration hearing, according to jail records.
“The City of Port St. Lucie is not immune to the national illegal immigration crisis, where innocent citizens become victims of crime,” said Police Chief Richard Del Toro. “The Port St. Lucie Police Department vigorously investigates crimes of this nature and will relentlessly pursue and bring any suspects involved to justice.”
Police say Rojas-Morales is a member of the Colombian South American Theft Group (SATG), which targets Asian business owners' homes when they are away.
The group uses counter surveillance, hidden GPS trackers, hidden video surveillance cameras, and radio jamming devices to disrupt and/or disrupt police communications during robberies.
In March, Coral Springs police announced the arrest of seven robbers who also targeted Asian communities.
“This is a trend we've seen in South Florida, especially among Asian business owners, restaurant and nail salon owners, who are willing to spend their days making money while they're at work. “If alive, these individuals would break into homes or commit crimes,” Coral Springs Police Chief Bradley McKean told reporters at a news conference after the arrests.
Authorities have arrested seven suspects in a robbery ring targeting South Florida's Asian community.
The suspects arrested in Coral Springs included six men and one woman from Colombia and Mexico, McKean said.
Officials say the crew committed about 10 robberies in Broward and Palm Beach in the two weeks before their arrest.
“I think this is very disturbing because they are targeting individuals, hard-working people. This is not just a property crime, it's a very serious crime that takes away people's lives and businesses.” said McKean. .
