Man arrested for stealing package containing shoes in Miami, police say

Officer spots suspect matching description of thief the day after incident

MIAMI – A man accused of stealing a package from the front porch of a home in Miami was arrested Wednesday.

Miami police said surveillance video shows Luis Lopez, 21, approaching the the home about 3 p.m. Tuesday in the 2900 block of Southwest 19th Street and walking away with the package that contained a pair of new shoes.

Recommended Videos



An officer, who initially took the report, spotted Lopez riding a bicycle the next day a block away from the Miami Police Department's South District Police Station, authorities said.

Police said the officer immediately identified Lopez, because he was wearing the same clothes as the day before and has a distinctive tattoo of a rosary on his left wrist that was seen in the surveillance video.

Lopez was arrested on charges of petit theft and burglary.

According to an arrest report, Lopez apologized for stealing the shoes after being shown images of the surveillance video and said that he only "stole them for his little sister, because they didn't have money and were living in a hotel."

When asked how he knew that there were shoes inside the package, police said Lopez said, "I didn't know,  but when I opened it, I saw that there were shoes."

Police said Lopez told detectives that he doesn't know the homeowner and admitted that he wasn't given permission to take the package.


About the Author:

Amanda Batchelor is the Digital Executive Producer for Local10.com.