Colombian woman steals man's Rolex watch at Miami Beach hotel, police say

Accused getaway driver also arrested Monday

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – A tourist from Bogota, Colombia, was arrested Monday morning after she stole a Rolex watch from a man she had met at a Miami Beach nightclub the night before, police said.

According to an arrest report, Liliana Vanegas, 24, went back to the man's hotel room at the Loews Hotel on Collins Avenue and told the victim that she had too much to drink and needed to lie down.

Police said the victim lay down next to Vanegas after taking off his $28,000 Rolex watch and placing it on the nightstand.

The victim told officers that he heard Vanegas get up about 7 a.m. Monday, and saw her get dressed and then grab her purse and his watch from the nightstand before rushing out the room.

According to the report, the man followed Vanegas out of the room and told her to give him the watch.

He said Vanegas tried to get into a taxi in the front of the hotel, but he told the cab driver not to drive away because she had stolen his watch and he was calling police.

Authorities said the taxi driver told Vanegas to get out of the car, so she walked west on 16th Street and tried to get into another cab.

Again, the victim told the driver not to drive away, so Vanegas got out of that cab and called someone on her cellphone, police said.

According to the report, Francisco Trujillo, 30, soon pulled up in a white Mercedes and drove off with Vanegas.

The victim, who was on the phone with a 911 dispatcher, provided a description of the vehicle and the license plate number.

A police officer soon found Trujillo and Vanegas heading west on the MacArthur Causeway, the report said.

Police said Vanegas was found with 2.8 grams of suspected cocaine in a Ziploc bag.

She was arrested on grand theft and possession of cocaine charges.

Trujillo, who is also a Colombian citizen but lives in Miami, was arrested on a grand theft charge.

"I'll be more careful definitely, but you know, I heard that this is a very common thing there and I just hope that police can put a stop to it," the victim, who is from Ontario, told Local 10 News reporter Derek Shore.

According to court records, Vanegas allegedly drugged and robbed another man last month.

The watch had not been located as of Tuesday night. 


About the Author:

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