Woman robbed at gunpoint in Pembroke Pines apartment complex

Robbery believe to be connected to 2 December carjackings in area

PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. – A woman was robbed at gunpoint late Monday night in Pembroke Pines, and the robbery may be connected to two others, according to police.

The robbery happened about 10:30 p.m. in the Windmills Lakes community near Southwest 86th Avenue and Southwest Third Street.

Pembroke Pines police Capt. Al Xiques said the 57-year-old woman was approached by two men while she was parked in the complex. The men demanded her bag and her keys.

Xiques said the woman was pushed to the ground, kicked twice and punched three times in the head while being held at gunpoint. The victim eventually got away and the two robbers ran off.

"They said, 'Shut up. Give me your phone and keys or I'll kill you' pretty much, so she just screamed and other neighbors heard," the victim's daughter said. 

Officers searched the area but weren't able to find the men.

The woman's daughter, identified only as Whitney, told Local 10 News that a neighbor heard her mother screaming and took video of the men running away. 

"She has a crazy headache. They punched her in the head and kicked her in the leg," Whitney said. 

Police believe the robbery is connected to two carjackings that happened in December.

In those cases, both women were sitting in their parked cars when they were robbed. Police believe the same men were responsible for both robberies.

In the first incident, police said, Angela Nunez, 54, was talking on her phone with the windows down on Dec. 13 when two men approached her vehicle from both sides.

Police said both men were armed with handguns.

One of the men put his gun to the side of Nunez's head and told to her get out of her gray 2017 Toyota Corolla.

As she walked away, police said, the man pushed her and told her not turn around. The man then drove off with the car, police said.

In the second incident, a 60-year-old woman was about to leave her 2011 silver Hyundai Sonata on Dec.14 when an armed man opened her passenger side door and climbed inside the car.

Police said the man put his gun to the woman's head and told her to "shut up." Meanwhile, another armed man approached the driver's side door and demanded the woman get out of the vehicle, police said. When she did, the gunmen, along with a third man, got in the car and sped off, police said.

Residents are fed up and said they want the homeowner's association to make fixing their security gate a priority.

"They won't give us answers," one resident said. "We don't know why it hasn't been installed since 2015. They've collected funds and there's been no response. We've emailed, called and no response."

Pembroke Pines Mayor Frank Ortis said during a news conference Tuesday that both the criminals and property managers are going to be held responsible.

"You're punks, you're stupid, you're ignorant -- you're watching this right now -- we're going to get you," Ortis said. "How dare you be cowards and beat up defenseless women. How dare you. And I'll tell you one thing, property managers are going to take responsibility for this. Gates don't work. Security cameras don't work. You're responsible, as well."  

Anyone with information is asked to the Pembroke Pines Police Department at 954-431-2200.