Woman sought, man arrested after cross-county chase in stolen BMW, police say

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. ā€“ Detectives are searching for a devious woman with dark black hair on Monday. She was wearing a short tube top dress when she stole a 2020 BMW 330i on Saturday in Broward County.

Detectives said the woman prompted a cross-county police chase that started in Fort Lauderdale and ended with a gunmanā€™s arrest in Miami-Dade County.

Jonathan Semerene said he took his key fob, but left his orange BMW running and the doors open in the parking lot outside of Kavasutra Kava Bar, at 1318 E Las Olas Blvd.

Surveillance video shows a woman opened the door of a running car and stole it on Saturday night in Fort Lauderdale. (FLPD)

Surveillance video shows the woman saw a crime of opportunity. Semerene, 25, said he saw her driving away with his car when he ran and jumped onto the hood. He held on for about a quarter of a mile.

Semerene said the woman was swerving to try to make him fall. He held on until a gunman got out of a silver car and ordered him to get off. He called 911 as they both drove away.

ā€œThat was a battle I wasnā€™t going to win,ā€ Semerene said.

Robinson Diaz Garrido was driving when a police officer found the stolen BMW, according to Casey Liening, a spokeswoman for the Fort Lauderdale Police Department.

Miami-Dade police officers arrested Robinson Diaz Garrido over a pending warrant after a late Saturday cross-county chase in a stolen BMW. (MDPD)

Officer Carey Richardson started to chase Diaz Garrido, 26, at Southeast 17th Street near Federal Highway, according to the FLPD incident report.

The car chase ended near the intersection of Northwest 38th Street and Northwest 19th Avenue, in Miami-Dadeā€™s Allapattah neighborhood. Diaz Garrido surrendered, police said.

Officers recovered Semereneā€™s BMW with more than $5,000 in damage. Miami-Dade police officers arrested Diaz Garrido over a pending felony warrant.

Diaz Garrido was at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on Monday afternoon. His record in Miami-Dade includes two burglary cases in 2016, a weapon possession case in 2018, and a fleeing and eluding police charge.

Diaz Garrido is awaiting extradition to Broward County to face charges of armed carjacking, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and fleeing and eluding police.

Liening is asking anyone with information about the case to call detectives at 954-828-6630 or Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477.

LOCATIONS

Carjacking in Broward

Chase ends in Miami-Dade


About the Authors

The Emmy Award-winning journalist joined the Local 10 News team in 2013. She wrote for the Miami Herald for more than 9 years and won a Green Eyeshade Award.

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