A Cuban mother and son were arrested for the armed robbery of nearly 800 thousand dollars in jewelry from the owner of a beauty salon in Hialeah, who also sold jewelry to her clients.
Those involved in the case, Lourdes Díaz (55 years old) and Julián Flores (24), both residents of Naples, are facing charges of armed robbery.
The arrest report -cited by America Tevé- reveals that for over a month, Lourdes Díaz frequented the establishment, located at 7700 block and 28th Avenue in the west of the city, where she gained the trust and became "friends" with the victim, asking many questions about the merchandise but never buying anything.
On September 16th, the victim was leaving the establishment with a briefcase containing jewelry when Julián Flores approached him, dressed in black, wearing a balaclava, and carrying a firearm.
According to the authorities, a struggle ensued during which Flores struck the victim on the head with the weapon and then fired a shot into the air. Fearing for her life, the woman dropped the suitcase containing the jewelry.
Julián Flores and his mother—who was waiting for him in a vehicle—immediately fled the scene in a Chevrolet Equinox SUV. However, part of the armed robbery was captured on video by security cameras in the area.
After the robbery, Lourdes Díaz contacted the victim by phone to let her know that she had heard about what had happened and that she was available to offer any kind of assistance.
The investigators were able to determine that the license plate of the SUV had previously belonged to a Ford SUV that was near the scene of the theft in the days leading up to it. The Ford SUV had been rented by Díaz at a rental agency at Miami Airport.
Adding to this, a post by Julián Flores on social media bragging about the jewelry he had stolen helped the police locate the young man and subsequently his mother.
The police were able to locate the suspect through her cell phone and arrested her on the street. At the time of the arrest, they found two bags containing jewelry that matched what the victim had in her briefcase.
After the arrest, the police recovered jewelry valued at 800,000 dollars.
"I never imagined I would be capable of such a thing. She called me as if nothing was happening. Honestly, I was shocked when I found out it was her. I am grateful that the police did their job, and thank God they are where they need to be," said the victim in statements to the local press.
Lourdes Díaz and Julián Flores had no prior criminal records, but Judge Mindy S. Glazer ruled that they would remain in jail without the option of bail.
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