DORAL, Fla. – A man is facing charges after police said he was caught on camera swiping a nearly $43,000 gold chain from a Macy’s store in Doral last week, authorities confirmed Wednesday.
Police said Eduardo Javier Lopez Hernandez, 43, was arrested following a dramatic chase through a parking lot after he allegedly grabbed the high-value jewelry and fled the store without paying.
The incident occurred shortly after 1 p.m. on Nov. 4 when investigators said Lopez Hernandez entered the women’s department of a Macy’s Women’s and Kid’s store, located at 1205 NW 107th Ave., through the store’s north entrance.
They confirmed a Macy’s loss prevention officer was monitoring security cameras when she observed the suspect approaching the store’s jewelry department.
An arrest report states Lopez Hernandez was engaged with an employee who was working in the area at the time and reportedly requested to view a Cuban link gold necklace valued at approximately $42,995.
According to police, the employee presented the necklace to Lopez Hernandez and informed him of its price. She then allowed him to briefly hold the necklace.
Instead of returning the item as expected, police said Lopez Hernandez grabbed the necklace and fled the store, heading out through the same north entrance he had entered, the report stated.
Immediately recognizing the theft, Doral police said an officer gave chase, following Lopez Hernandez through the Macy’s parking lot.
As she pursued him on foot, she encountered a witness in the parking lot and quickly informed him of the situation.
Authorities said the witness, who was not involved in the initial incident but had witnessed the suspect fleeing, decided to help.
Police said the pursuit continued across the street, where the witness was able to catch up to Lopez Hernandez and physically detain him in the parking lot of the Dade County Federal Credit Union, located at 1500 NW 107th Ave.
Once detained, police said Lopez Hernandez was positively identified by the store employee as the person who had taken the necklace.
During an interrogation, police said Lopez Hernandez was presented with a Miranda warning and waived his right to have an attorney present.
Although the stolen necklace was not found on Lopez Hernandez at the time of his arrest, police noted that he made a statement that was redacted in the publicly released report.
Detectives said Doral police officers also reviewed CCTV footage from the Dade County Federal Credit Union, which corroborated Lopez Hernandez’s statements and the sequence of events described by witnesses.
Jail records show Lopez Hernandez is facing one count of second-degree grand theft.
As of Wednesday evening, he remained at the Metrowest Detention Center, where his bond was set at $7,500.
Doral police told Local 10 News’ Christina Vazquez that they are also searching for 46-year-old Yoan Morera Guirado, who appeared to be wearing red sneakers in the surveillance video at the top of the page.
Authorities stated there is “probable cause” to charge Morera Guirado with second-degree grand theft and dealing in stolen property.
Doral Police Chief Edwin Lopez also confirmed the gold chain was pawned at a local shop for $7,000.
Lopez also had this public safety message for shoppers or anyone who has witnessed a crime in South Florida:
“While we welcome help from the community, we like to let law enforcement handle anyone in the community. Take copious notes and contact us quickly, but preferably do not take these matters into their own hands because there is always a risk of them getting hurt.”
Anyone with information on the case or Morera Guirado’s whereabouts is urged to call Detective A. Dorado at 305-593-6699 ext. 2560.
The reported theft comes at a time when Macy’s is working to reverse a quarterly decline.
In August, the Associated Press stated that Macy’s reported another quarterly decline and confirmed that sales for the fiscal year will be weaker than expected due to a “more discriminating consumer outlook.”
Local 10 viewers can read Macy’s quarterly report in the document below.
Macy’s also release a statement about the incident to Local 10 News Wednesday, which you can read below.