Man Tied Up, Beaten In Allapattah Home Invasion Robbery
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – The search continues for two armed individuals following a home invasion robbery in Allapattah Monday night.
Eduardo Liriano told CBS4's Natalia Zea when the armed men stormed into his efficiency apartment at 1128 NW 29th Street and they wanted cash.
"They were asking me 'where's everything? Where's the money, where's the stash.' There's nothing here, I don't know what kind of information they got but there's nothing here," said Liriano.
Liriano said he grabbed a knife and tried to fight back.
"I was trying to take the gun from him because when he rushed me I had an opportunity to try to grab the gun, but they both overpowered me," said Liriano who did manage to cut one of them.
Liriano said they hit him with the gun, tied him up with shoe laces and put a pillowcase over his head. They then ransacked his home.
Liriano said they used bleach to clean the blood off the walls.
"I thought they were pouring something else. I thought they were going to set this place on fire and bounce," said Liniano.
Liriano said he thought they were going to kill him.
"I said my last little prayer and I was like 'well God, if it's my time to go, it's my time to go'," said Liriano.
Liriano said the men stole his cell phone along with other items, including his television and PlayStation.
Investigators sent an electronic signal to the stolen phone, or 'pinged' it, and were able to trace it to a home in the 2300 block of SW 19th Street in the Shenandoah neighborhood. When officers arrived at the home, two men ran from it.
Using a helicopter and K9s, police were able to take the two men into custody. Inside the home they reportedly found the items taken during the home invasion except for the stolen cell phone.
"We recovered the victim's property, the victim sustained minor injuries from the home invasion robbery. Right now we have two people detained for questioning and two people at large," said Miami police Detective Max Valdes.
Of the two people detained, one was released and the other was held on an unrelated charge. Police have not said what that charge is.
Neighbors said the people who live in the home broke in and were squatting. CBS4 checked and discovered that the home is owned by Bank of America.
"I believe they are not good persons," said neighbor Samuel Valdes, "Because there is too much problems there."
Those who live in the area say a couple of months ago, police found a hydroponics lab in the home.
Police said a few hours before the Allapattah home invasion, an elderly couple was carjacked less than a mile at 2780 NW 18 Avenue in Miami. The couple told police they were held at gunpoint by three men. Investigators later recovered the car, but the trio is on the loose.
Earlier in the day on Monday, there was another home invasion robbery in Shenandoah in which a woman was tied up, robbed and her home was ransacked.
Detectives don't believe the carjacking or the Shenandoah robbery are related to the Allapattah home invasion.
