Detective On Armed Flea Market Robbers: 'Not Their First Rodeo'
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – A group of armed robbers stormed a jewelry booth at a local flea market, and these dangerous men are still out on our streets.
The robbery took place at noon on October 23 at the USA Flea Market at 79th Street in Miami.
The well-organized group targeted the Gold R Us concession inside the market complex.
They had sludge hammers to crack open the display cases.
At one point, one of the fives crooks opened fire with what looks like an Uzi – an automatic submachine gun.
"He opened fire like he was at a firing range. He did not care where those bullets were going to go, ricochet, where they were going to impact. Total disregard for life," said Miami-Dade Police Det. Alvaro Zabaleta.
Customers fled as the rest of the gang got into the caper.
One store employee tried to scare them off with a pole. All that did was have one of the armed robbers point the automatic weapon at them. Fortunately, it jammed.
He struggled to get the weapon operational. Once he did, he blasted the display cases.
"He does not care who he is going to hit, if he was going to kill someone or not," Zabaleta reiterated.
The robbers, all dressed in black, scooped up plenty of loot and headed out the door. Security cameras captured they as they ran to an awaiting mini-van – a sixth person behind the wheel.
"For somebody to be that brazen, this is not their first rodeo. No one is going to commit their first armed robbery this way," Zabaleta said.
There have been several similar armed jewelry heists in Downtown Miami and Miami Gardens. Police agencies are comparing notes and are not ruling out the robberies are connected.
If you have any information that can help the police agencies, contact Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at (30) 471-TIPS.