GOLDEN BEACH, Fla. – Newly-released video shows Golden Beach police officers arresting suspected car thieves at gunpoint.
Authorities believe the seaside town is being targeted.
The video was taken on April 21 when four juveniles were burglarizing cars, police said.
In the video, they can be seen running back and forth before police officers arrive with their guns drawn.
It’s another sign of a rising trend of car thefts and burglaries in South Florida.
“It’s a major issue, not only here,” said Golden Beach Mayor Glenn Singer. “I hear the same thing in South Miami and Pinecrest-area. Car theft has become big.”
Authorities across Miami-Dade and Broward are taking the issue seriously.
“Golden Beach has taken a hard stance on it,” said Singer. “I don’t care if they are juveniles, we are going to prosecute to the nth degree.”
Video taken in March also released by authorities shows the theft of a Range Rover that was gone mere seconds after the crook arrived.
The videos were released just one day after Golden Beach Police Sgt. Joseph Bautista was released from Memorial Regional Hospital days after being shot in the arm.
He was pursuing a stolen car when the subjects bailed and shot at the sergeant.
Two arrests were made in that case.
As Bautista recovers at home with his family, Singer had a clear message for potential crooks: Enough is enough.
“The prosecutors and state attorney need to be strict on it, they need to enforce the law because if you don’t enforce the law, they keep coming back and coming back and coming back,” Singer said.