The Hialeah authorities released surveillance and body camera footage this week showing the moment when an off-duty state agent confronted an armed thief inside a Publix, after the man attempted to steal nine bottles of over-the-counter medication valued at just under 190 dollars.
The incident occurred on September 29, 2025, around 4:30 p.m., at the supermarket located at 1585 W. 49th St., next to the Westland Mall in Hialeah, Florida.
The suspect, identified as Edwin Soto, 43 years old and whose nationality has not been disclosed, was spotted by an officer from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) while he was storing six bottles of Advil and three of Tylenol inside a backpack.
The off-duty officer showed him his badge to stop him.
Soto left the establishment looking over his shoulder but returned moments later, took out a knife and threatened to kill the officer before fleeing on a bicycle.
The Hialeah police arrested him shortly after while he was walking on West 16th Avenue.
In the body camera footage, a Hialeah officer directly reproaches Soto: "An officer showed you his badge and you pulled out a knife saying 'I'm going to kill you'".
Soto responded by claiming that the officer had hit him, but it was he who ended up being arrested.
He was charged with aggravated assault against a law enforcement officer and petty theft.
After his arrest, Soto was taken to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center with a bail of $8,000.
Judicial records from Miami-Dade County reveal that Soto has an extensive criminal history, mainly for drug charges and thefts, and that he served approximately six months in prison for robbery and possession of heroin.
At the time the video was published this Monday, Soto was under house arrest.
The case arises in a context of high incidence of thefts of over-the-counter medications in South Florida, where these products are frequent targets for thieves due to their high value per unit and the ease of reselling them.
In 2025, the Florida Attorney General announced the dismantling of an organized retail theft ring operating out of Hialeah that impacted chains such as Publix, CVS, Walgreens, Burlington, and Ulta Beauty across various regions of the state, resulting in seven arrests.
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