Teens Charged In Armed Robbery Caught By GPS Tracker
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- It was a nearly perfectly executed plan.
In hoodies and wearing masks, black gloves to avoid leaving fingerprints, three crooks thought they pulled off a flawless heist on an AT&T store at 86th Avenue and N.W. 186th Street just before 9 a.m. Tuesday.
Two of them, Tashederick Williams and Keith James, both 18, entered the store with guns drawn and rushed a store manager, according to Miami-Dade Police. They forced their way through the back door when the employee tried to close it, then got him to open the safe.
They took cash and phones. And when another man walked into the store, they robbed him, too, before driving off.
Little did they realize that inside their bag of stolen goods was a device with GPS tracking.
It allowed authorities to pinpoint their location in the area of S.W. 117th Avenue and S.W. 172nd Street, riding in a car that matched the description of the one seen leaving the crime.
"Ironically, there was also an officer in the area, said Det. Dan Ferrin. "He had witnessed this same vehicle that they were looking for, a Nissan Altima, which had just been involved in a hit-and-run."
The suspects bailed out of the car and ran.
James was found some time after cops set up a perimeter.
Williams was found hiding inside an abandoned vehicle, along with a third suspect, Tyrese Grace, also 18.
One gun was discovered in plain view inside the crashed vehicle and another was found in someone's yard. The stolen items were in the trunk of the car, police said.
In addition to the hit-and-run and a charge of reckless driving, all three suspects have been charged with armed robbery with a deadly weapon.
