'Kidnapped' Uber Driver Streams His Drive With 'Bank Robber' Toting 'Bomb' On Facebook Live
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – A suspected bank robber reportedly kidnapped an Uber driver, claimed to have a bomb, was taped on Facebook Live talking about World War III and then gave away the cash he's believed to have stolen on South Beach.
It doesn't end there.
The Miami Beach police bomb squad, the FBI, ATF and several police agencies converged on South Beach, blocking several streets on Ocean Drive, as they worked to bring an end to this bizarre night.
So how did this all go down?
Well, the string of events started with an Uber driver and ex-Marine who calls himself "Mikebilly So-Focused" on Facebook.
"A component of this entire investigation as many are aware is social media," said Miami Beach spokesperson Ernesto Rodriguez.
At the time the bank robbery was reported, Mike posted three Facebook Live videos calling for help.
He wrote messages to friends saying "I'm in trouble bomb," "he gots a (expletive) bomb" and "I'm a (expletive) hostage."
CBS4's Tiani Jones was able to confirm from customers of the Navy Federal Credit Union that Mike's video was indeed taken from inside of their Downtown Miami bank.
In the video, you hear the person recording quietly telling people to get out while he films a man in a suit holding what he claims to be a bomb.
Mike's second and third videos were taken from inside a car.
"And we just got to coming back from the bank, Navy Federal, downtown," Mike says in one of the video.
The man who claims to have a bomb goes into a rant about the government, and at one point shows an envelope full of money.
That envelope full of money is important, because at 5 p.m. Monday, viewers shared pictures of a man, who looks like strikingly similar to the one in the Facebook Live, standing on top of a car passing out money as people crowd around him.
Another picture shows a woman posing with a bunch of $20 bills in her hand.
"Earlier in the day, there was a bank robbery in the city of Miami at The Navy Federal Credit Union," Rodriguez said. "And the subjects that we have now in custody by the FBI believe to be involved, allegedly."
That brings us to Monday night – another bomb threat, another bomb squad detonating suspicious items.
Although police said the FBI has two men in custody, there's still the question if one is a victim.
"There was a lot of components, a lot of threats made, which we are investigating in conjunction with federal authorities," Rodriguez said.
