CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. – The Coral Springs Police Department, Broward Sheriff’s Office and Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office conducted a joint operation Thursday to arrest several burglars who they say have been targeting the Asian community in South Florida.
Authorities said the joint operation resulted in the arrest of seven suspects who they believe coordinated, participated in and committed at least 10 residential burglaries in Coral Springs and throughout South Florida over the last couple of weeks.
Coral Springs Police Chief Bradley McKeone said his department met with various law enforcement agencies on Tuesday morning to discuss the ongoing burglaries in the area.
Authorities confirmed they scanned several license plate readers to begin surveilling the seven suspects before they were eventually caught burglarizing a home in Coral Springs.
A South Florida homeowner told Local 10 News the group of thieves were caught on surveillance video at his residence.
“They took the safe and stole the whole safe,” said the victim who asked not to be identified. “I think we were specifically targeted.”
The latest burglary and business owner said a safe had been ripped out of his home in a gated Coral Springs development while he and his wife were at work.
“They threw it down the stairs, so that’s where some of the damage happened,” said the victim. “Some of the stairs in the house were broken.”
Investigators said they noticed a pattern across Broward and Palm Beach counties.
McKeone said he believes Asian business owners were targeted in these crimes because the suspects believed they had a lot of money in their homes and were successful.
“Criminals are looking for crimes of opportunity. In this case here, it’s people who have cash or who have valuables they know are going to typically be in the house, so that’s why they’re targeting the Asian community because again, they’re business owners,” said McKeone. “They have Chinese restaurants, nail salons and people who usually deal with a lot of cash.”
Police said all seven suspects were detained Wednesday in Fort Lauderdale after detectives set up secret cameras to capture the crooks in action.
“We were in locations they had no idea. They had no idea where we were at and we were very close to them,” said Sgt. Eric Jomant of the CSPD.
According to jail records, all seven suspects are facing charges of burglary and grand theft.
Police also said that all property was recovered following the arrests.
Detectives said they will also determine if they can charge each suspect with a hate crime following the reported burglaries.
McKeone confirmed the six men and one woman who were arrested in Broward County are from Colombia and Mexico.
Detectives identified the suspects as:
•Norma Garcia Maldonado, 40
•Wilson Daniel Agudel Restrepo, 43
•Jhon Edward Augudelo, 45
•Ricardo Mauricio Llanos Velazquez, 41
•Julio Cesar Moreno Arenas, 44
•Bryan Steven Munoz Diaz, 31
•Edwin Nicolas Urquijo Cabrera, 51
Watch the Coral Spring Police Department’s full press conference here: