Victim Praises Police After Red Light Cameras Lead To Robber Who Terrified Her
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Images from red light cameras in the city of Miami Springs led to the arrest of a man who robbed and terrified a 78-year-old woman and her 91-year-old husband last month.
Now that woman, Rosario Cardini, is praising Miami Springs police for their work in using the red light cameras and finding the suspect: 42-year-old Douglas Robert Little.
"Oh my gosh, my police department is great. It is just incredible," said Cardini. "I am hanging in there. Things happen but I am happy because they got the guy."
Cardini told CBS4's Peter D'Oench that she and her husband Josef were on their way home from Miami Jai-Alai at 3500 Northwest 37th Avenue early on the morning of September 15th when they were robbed.
She and her husband passed a series on red light cameras on Northwest 36th Street near Lejeune Road. She said when they stopped at a nearby intersection, the suspect jumped out of his white van.
"I saw him in the mirror getting out of the van," she said. "Suddenly he was inside my SUV. Then he pulled my arm. He grabbed my arm. And I guess he punched the key to stop the car. He grabbed my purse."
Miami Springs police said the suspect initially told the Cardinis that he had a flat tire.
They say they recovered images from red light cameras along Northwest 36th Street near Lejeune Road and several days after the incident, they recovered the white van.They say that van had some distinctive markings on it.
Little was arrested on Wednesday.
Cardini told D'Oench she'll never forget the man who robbed her.
"I was scared," she said. "I was very scared. When I came home and talked to the police I felt like I was dead."
"I hope this never happens to me again," she said. "We have lived here 45 years in Miami Springs, where my husband used to be a police officer and used to work after that in code enforcement. This is a great city. Nothing like this has ever happened to me."
Cardini told D'Oench that neither she nor her husband was hurt.
She said her purse with $477 in cash and credit cards was still missing. She did recover some items.
"But I am so happy they got the man who did this thanks to these red light cameras," she said. "This was the best thing."
"From now on, I am not going to go out with my purse," she said. "I am going to put all my cards in my pocket. That way this will never happen to me again."
A check of records shows that Little had been arrested before on charges including marijuana and cocaine possession, robbery and grand theft.
