MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — A man was arrested Wednesday, nearly four years since he allegedly robbed a Turkish tourist of his $14,000 Rolex while the victim was visiting Miami Beach, authorities said.
According to an arrest report, Dejon William Barnes, 25, of Miami, was arrested Wednesday on an armed robbery charge.
Miami Beach police said the robbery occurred at about 5 a.m. on Jan. 29, 2022, in the 1300 block of Collins Court.
According to the report, the victim was walking south on Collins Court when Barnes followed him before pulling out a gun, grabbing the victim and removing the victim’s Rolex Datejust from his wrist.
Police said Barnes then ran off, heading south on Collins Court.
Detectives said they obtained surveillance video from multiple businesses in the area, which shows Barnes following the victim after the victim left the bar, Mac’s Club Deuce.
But police were not able to identify Barnes as the suspect until May 2024 when a detective noticed a strong resemblance between the person seen in the video and Barnes, who at the time was an inmate with the Florida Department of Corrections.
According to the report, Barnes was in custody after being convicted in a separate armed robbery that occurred in Miami in 2022.
Miami Beach police eventually obtained a search warrant for Barnes’ home and a small black Ruger handgun was found, which matched the description of the gun the victim said the suspect used in the robbery. A selfie-style photo obtained from his iCloud account also showed Barnes wearing the same hooded sweatshirt that was worn by the suspect on the morning of the robbery, authorities said.
Barnes was released from FDOC custody and placed on probation on Dec. 15, 2025. After learning about his release, Miami Beach police located and arrested Barnes Wednesday for the 2022 case in their city.
Barnes declined to make a statement to detectives.
As of Thursday afternoon, he remained held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. Online jail records listed his bond at “to be set.”
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