MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Two Broward men are facing a bevy of felony charges one county to the south after Miami-Dade police said they were among those responsible for stealing more than a dozen forklifts from a business near Doral.
Authorities arrested Eddie Jean-Baptiste, 20, of Plantation, and Elijah Torrealba, 19, of Coconut Creek, on Monday.
According to arrest reports from the Miami-Dade Police Department, the investigation began Sunday after a maintenance worker at Forklift Parts & Equipment, located just east of the Palmetto Expressway at 7695 NW 63rd St., noticed the main gates had been forcibly cut open.
Police said surveillance footage showed two men scaling the gate and using a power saw to breach the lock. Afterwards, the suspects were seen removing forklifts from the business.
The arrest reports state that the surveillance footage showed at least five men involved and identified two vehicles as being part of the burglary: a black Range Rover and a dark-colored BMW.
Authorities said the suspects made off with 15 forklifts worth about $500,000.
The reports state that as the business owner was inspecting the scene, the Range Rover pulled up and employees were able to capture its license plate. Police said the SUV would later be found abandoned at Advance Auto Parts at 9575 NW Seventh Ave. in the unincorporated Pinewood area.
Authorities said the victim and police found some of the forklifts off Northwest 74th Avenue in Medley and as they were at the site, Jean-Baptiste and Torrealba pulled up in the BMW.
The reports state that when the pair noticed officers’ presence, they flipped a U-turn and sped away.
Police said they followed the pair as Torrealba, driving the vehicle, ran a red light and sped in an attempt to evade law enforcement.
After getting on the Palmetto Expressway and the Gratigny Parkway, speeding and cutting off other drivers along the way, police said Torrealba stopped on Northwest 42nd Avenue and ran out of the vehicle; they said Jean-Baptiste stayed inside and refused to step out, later resisting arrest.
Police said they found a forklift Yale key and marijuana on Jean-Baptiste.
A Hialeah police officer soon cuffed Torrealba at the Exxon gas station at 6305 E. Eighth Ave., the reports state.
Police said he resisted arrest and later managed to slip his handcuffs and escape from a cruiser, leading officers on another foot chase. Authorities said they later caught up to him and medics took him to Hialeah Hospital for medical clearance after he complained of shortness of breath.
Authorities said they found a Glock 48 handgun with nine rounds inside the vehicle.
“Additionally, the same clothing used in the burglary was inside the vehicle and both matched the physical description of the masked subjects seen taking the forklifts from Forklift Parts & Equipment,” the investigating officer wrote in the reports. “In plain view, I also located two steering columns that were damaged from two of the forklifts stolen.”
Police said both men invoked their rights to remain silent after being taken into custody.
Both men are facing charges of first-degree grand theft, masked burglary, felony criminal mischief and resisting arrest with violence.
Torrealba is facing additional counts, including escape and fleeing and eluding a police officer.
Jean-Baptiste’s additional charges include 11 counts of felon in possession of a firearm or ammunition and a misdemeanor marijuana charge.
Jail records show Torrealba’s bond set at $32,500, with a hold for another agency.
A judge had not yet set bond for Jean-Baptiste, who has convictions in Broward County for aggravated fleeing and eluding and grand theft auto, jail records show. He was out on probation at the time of his arrest.
Both men were being held in Miami-Dade County’s Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center as of Tuesday afternoon.
Local 10 News visited the business Tuesday and saw one of the recovered forklifts; it had busted mirrors and its lower console pried off.
Ten out of the missing 15 forklifts were recovered, staffers said.
Authorities said the suspects’ plan was likely to sell them.