MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – A Miami woman is facing felony charges after authorities said she was seen at least twice targeting men in Miami Beach hotels, pepper-spraying them and stealing their valuables.
Police arrested Esther Maria Torres, 20, of Overtown, on two armed robbery charges Thursday.
In one incident, on March 26, police said she took a Hugo Boss watch and a wallet from an international tourist at the Breakwater Hotel.
In another, she stole a $22,000 Rolex Submariner from a man at the Fontainebleau Hotel on March 30 after going back to his room, authorities said.
In both cases, police said she temporarily blinded the men before stealing the valuables.
In mid-April, police said they pulled over a car they said Torres got into following one of the robberies; they arrested a man and she came to the scene. Police were able to put out a “need to identify” flyer and then realized she was the woman who responded to the traffic stop.
That led to her arrest on Thursday.
She was ordered held without bond after appearing in Miami-Dade court on Friday.
Miami police recently arrested a Las Vegas woman on similar accusations. But instead of using pepper spray, she’s accused of using drugs to incapacitate her victims.
Rachel Marie Warner, 23, is suspected in at least two “bad date” cases in the city.