Miami-Dade Police Find Stolen Marked Cruiser In Lake
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Miami-Dade police confirmed Tuesday they have located the marked cruiser stolen from an officer's driveway.
The patrol car was found submerged in a lake in the area of SW 336th Street and 192th Avenue.
Police were able to get equipment into the area to chop brush and clear a path for the dive team van and eventually a large commercial tow truck.
An officer told CBS4's Hank Tester that the lake is so hidden even he did not know it was here even though he has patrolled the area for some years.
The car was finally pulled from the lake early Tuesday evening. It had severe damage to the front bumper and its trunk was popped open.
The officer assigned the green and white 2008 Ford Crown Victoria, who lives in the area of SW 276th Street and 167th Avenue, said she noticed it was missing Monday morning at around 8:30 a.m.
Authorities said the patrol car contained a helmet and bullet proof vest but no weapons.
A neighbor said surveillance video captured an unusual amount of activity and a glimpse of what appears to be the stolen car leaving.
"I think you see the car driving by slowly and looking and scoping it out and seeing what trouble you can get into and he came back a second time and then you see a large light turning off," said Christina Ravelo, the homeowner who captured the activity on surveillance.
In the video, a car turns off its light at 4:53 a.m. and Ravelo believes the thief did that with the stolen cruiser.
Ravelo said she heard from police that the car radio was turned on minutes later.
Miami-Dade police said there is no GPS in the stolen car to be able to track it, so it's unclear how police located the submerged cruiser.
Police are not sure if there are any connections to previous cases of police cars being stolen or vandalized.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers at (305)471-TIPS (8477) or (866) 471-8477. Tips can also be made online at crimestoppersmiami.com and select "Give a Tip."
