Miami Burglars Used Trash Bins to Steal $200,000 in Electronics in Real-Life GTA Heist

Historically speaking, the most interesting crime stories are those that aren’t solved in a day. Something like this happened on September 1, when authorities announced the arrest of three men who were allegedly connected to a string of burglaries across Miami-Dade and Broward counties. While this wouldn’t be too interesting by itself, the crimes dated back to February of this year.

Interestingly, the three suspects allegedly used cargo vans, ski masks, gloves, and garbage/recycling bins to steal electronics from businesses.

According to authorities, the most GTA-like heist happened on August 11 when surveillance allegedly showed a cargo van backing up at Universal Freight Logistics in Doral. The three suspects used three blue recycling bins and filled them with electronics after using a crowbar to allegedly force open the front door. They also used what investigators think is a signal jammer, ensuring that the entire thing took just three minutes.

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By the end, the three allegedly hauled approximately $200,000 worth of phones. This is just the approximate amount, because investigators weren’t able to go through the complete inventory to determine the exact amount.

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The Stolen Car That Led Police Straight to the Suspects

The first robbery wasn’t all, because the three alleged suspects also stole a 2013 Ford E-250. Funnily enough, this car was what ultimately led the police to catch the alleged suspects. Things came to a head when the authorities saw one of the suspects circling a warehouse with the stolen van for two and a half hours.

According to investigators, the van was joined by a black Dodge Caravan, and the two vehicles were allegedly circling the warehouse as if they were looking for potential entry points and vulnerabilities. This was apparently more than enough for authorities to decide to move in.

The authorities state that one of the suspects instantly threw away his gloves and a ski mask before running and hiding behind a vehicle. Another one pushed a sheriff’s sergeant and ran, while the third one tried to escape in the Dodge Caravan, prompting a short chase to start.

The Caravan allegedly struck the sergeant’s leg and pinned his foot underneath the vehicle, which commenters were quick to say sounded a lot like a scene from GTA. The suspect alledgedly abandoned the vehicle and tried to flee on foot, but it wasn’t enough because all three were ultimately arrested.

While the ski mask and other items the authorities found in the van were already enough to raise suspicion, there was also the signal jammer visible inside the Dodge Caravan. Detectives stated that the device seemed identical to what the suspects from the burglary had.