HIALEAH, Fla. — A man is accused of first trying to rob a Hialeah smoke shop before returning about 45 minutes later with a semiautomatic rifle and stealing roughly $1,600 worth of pills, according to an arrest report obtained by Local 10 News on Tuesday.
Jail records show Rafael Issac Rodriguez, 27, was arrested Monday by the Hialeah Police Department and is facing one count of armed robbery with a firearm or deadly weapon and one count of attempted armed robbery with a firearm and mask.
The first incident happened shortly before 1 a.m. Friday at Palm Smoke, located at 907 Palm Ave., according to investigators.
Police said Rodriguez entered the store wearing a dark-colored hoodie and light-colored pants and walked behind the glass countertop, an area restricted to employees.
One of his hands was inside his hoodie, leading the cashier to believe he was armed with a gun, the report states.
Police said Rodriguez approached the cashier and demanded pills.
The cashier told detectives he recognized Rodriguez as a regular customer and as one of only two customers who purchased the specific type of pills being demanded, according to the report.
Fearing for his life, the cashier grabbed a hookah pick for protection and told Rodriguez he was not giving him anything and that he needed to leave, the report states.
Rodriguez then told him, “You are lucky this is unloaded,” before leaving the store and driving away in a dark-colored Ford Taurus, according to the report.
About 45 minutes later, Rodriguez returned wearing the same clothing, but this time carrying a semiautomatic rifle equipped with a 100-round drum magazine, police said.
They said Rodriguez entered the business, pulled the rifle’s charging handle, loaded a round into the chamber and pointed the weapon at the cashier while again demanding the pills.
The cashier ran into a small office area inside the store for cover, police said.
They said Rodriguez then went to the area where the pills were stored and took approximately $1,600 worth of pills identified in the report as containing pure 7-hydroxymitragynine, commonly known as 7-OH.
He then left the store and fled northbound on Palm Avenue, according to police.
The cashier provided detectives with information identifying Rodriguez, including a phone number and email address from previous transactions, the report states. Detectives later identified Rodriguez and presented the cashier with a photo lineup.
The cashier identified Rodriguez as the person involved in both incidents, according to the report.
Rodriguez was located around 7:40 p.m. Monday near Northwest 10th Avenue and Northwest 20th Street and was taken to Hialeah Police Department headquarters for an interview, the report states.
After being advised of his Miranda rights, Rodriguez agreed to speak with detectives, according to police.
During the interview, Rodriguez said he drives a 2010 blue Ford Taurus and acknowledged that he is addicted to 7-hydroxymitragynine, or 7-OH, the report states.
Rodriguez also told detectives he frequently shops at Palm Smoke and knows attendants working both shifts, investigators said.
Rodriguez claimed he was “experiencing withdrawals” and said he did not remember where he was or what he did at the time of the robbery, according to the report.
Rodriguez later asked for a lawyer, and detectives ended the interview, the report states.
As the Miranda form was being completed, Rodriguez made a spontaneous statement about the shop selling Schedule I substances, saying, “I’m the one getting f---ed over,” the report states.
As of Tuesday morning, he was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where his bond was listed as to be set."
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