Copper Wire Thief Cuts A/C At Miami Pediatrician's Office

MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Miami Police are looking for a thief who stole copper from a pediatrician's office early Friday night.

The copper crook was caught on surveillance video at the Healthy Children Medical Clinic on the 1400 block of Northwest 20th Street.

The man is seen taking apart an air conditioning system to apparently steal the copper inside. He's calm because he doesn't seem to realize every movement is captured on camera.

A few minutes into the crime, the suspect see the camera, and hits it hoping to break the lens.

"It was kind of scary," said Dr. Isidro Lopez, who runs the clinic. "I'm glad we were not here at the office because it could be something different."

One of Perez's medical assistants, Elba Roche, discovered the damage when she opened the clinic this morning. The thief got away with most of the copper from the unit, rendering the air conditioner unusable.

"It's a shame that after 15 years in this community, I have to go through this," said Dr. Lopez.

Patients showing up for their appointments were welcomed by a hot and sticky environment. Because of the conditions at the clinic, some sick children may be forced to go to the emergency room for treatment.

"It's terrible. It's terrible," said mother Brenda Villafana. "Thank god they're going to fix this, and I hope they find the person who did this."

Anyone with information about the theft is urged to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-TIPS.