FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Two men remain in federal custody after members of the Colombian national soccer team reported being followed by a suspicious vehicle while running errands in Fort Lauderdale last week.
According to an incident report obtained by Local 10 News on Tuesday, the suspects were part of crime rings in South Florida and had multiple open cases.
The incident occurred on Nov. 13, when players, who were in their training uniforms, were at the Galleria Mall, located at 2414 E. Sunrise Blvd., purchasing several iPhones.
On their way to an urgent care facility, police said one player noticed a black SUV following them.
Concerned for their safety, the players flagged down Fort Lauderdale police officers in the area.
Officers located the SUV, a black Nissan Pathfinder with an expired Florida tag, in the urgent care parking lot, where they confirmed that three Hispanic men were inside.
The driver, Felipe Quiroz, 34, and passenger Juan Cruz Rodriguez, 52, were identified, while the third man initially gave a false name on a Colombian identification card. Fingerprint scanning identified him as Edison Fonseca Montana, 30.
According to the incident report, officers found several pairs of latex gloves scattered throughout the car and a black duffle bag in the trunk containing additional gloves, black tape, and screwdrivers.
Authorities determined that Quiroz and Rodriguez were involved in burglaries and robberies in Miami-Dade and Broward counties and had violated their U.S. visa requirements.
U.S. Border Patrol agents detained both individuals and transported them to federal custody for further processing.
They said Quiroz was released at the scene and confirmed that the rental car was towed due to expired registration and fraudulent rental information.
U.S. Border Patrol agents also responded to the scene.
In a statement last week, the agency told Local 10: “Agents assisted the Fort Lauderdale Police Department and arrested two illegal aliens from Colombia with extensive criminal records, including grand theft, robbery, and burglary.”
Ramon Jesurun, President of the Colombian Football Federation, later emphasized that South Florida remains a welcoming place for the team.
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