Woman, 22, charged in armed carjacking of vehicle later used during shooting of Miami-Dade officer
MIAMI -- A woman is facing charges after she was accused of using Tinder to lure a man to a Miami Gardens apartment complex last month where he was carjacked at gunpoint, according to court documents.
The same vehicle that was stolen from the victim was later used on Dec. 5 by a suspect who is now facing charges that he allegedly shot an undercover Miami-Dade officer who had been following the stolen vehicle, the court documents show.
Alexis Raianna Cardenas, 22, who has a Wisconsin address, was being held Tuesday on a no-bond order and is facing a second-degree felony charge of conspiracy to commit robbery/carjacking as well as a first-degree armed robbery/carjacking charge, according to the arrest warrant.
Investigators said in the court document that Cardenas met the unidentified victim at a Miami Gardens at 17321 NW 7th Ave. on Nov. 20 around 1 a.m.
The two had apparently first connected on Tinder, an online matchmaking app for people looking for romance.
Investigators said the woman had the man park his black Volkswagen Jetta in a nearby apartment complex, where the victim was "ambushed" a short time later by two other men who were dressed in all black and armed. They forced the victim to get on the ground and unlock his cell phone before they drove away in the car.
The man told police the woman "smirked" at the man as they drove away in his car.
That same car was being followed by an undercover officer earlier this month when the carjacking suspect, identified as Gabriel Gongora, 20, opened fire on one of the officers who was part of the surveillance operation. The 34-year-old officer suffered a gunshot wound and was taken to JMH Ryder Trauma Center for treatment of a non-life-threatening injury.
The suspect has been identified as Gabriel Gongora, 20. He has been charged with first-degree attempted murder of a law enforcement officer.
Investigators have not said if they have identified the second suspect who was mentioned in the arrest warrant for Cardenas.