Witness: Home Burglars Disguised Themselves As Construction Workers
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MIAMI SHORES (CBSMiami) -- A police helicopter circled Miami Shores for hours Tuesday in an attempt to capture some burglars.
A large perimeter was set up Tuesday afternoon near N.E. 94th Street and Biscayne Blvd.
"There was a lot of police, a lot of questions being asked," said Lisa Magee. "SWAT came through the allies, searched through everybody's yard, searched through my yard, my alley, just to make sure nobody's lurking around."
Dozens of patrol men and canine officers converged on the neighborhood after a lawn care crew called to report suspicious activity.
"They had the trunk covered up with a plastic bag," said witness Joseph Trumble. "And apparently it looked like they did a home invasion or a robbery. Then I got on the phone, called 911."
The crooks also appeared to be in disguise.
"They had vests on, they looked like workers," said Trumble. "Hard hats, orange vests. So it kinda looked like they were working construction. Anybody would just look at them and say they were just workers. But no, they were up to no good."
Residents wondered how easily they could have been victimized.
"And what if they knocked on someone's door, thinking, okay maybe this is an FPL worker construction worker," said Magee. "We've got construction going on in our alley. There's constantly cars coming around."
At one point, one of the suspects took off in a car and crashed into a yard on N.E. 94th Street, striking a tree.
"An unmarked police vehicle ran the burglary suspect off the road into those bushes next door," said Cletus Washington. "The suspect got out of the car and fled."
Two people were taken into custody. One suspect is believed to be on the loose.