MIAMI GARDENS (CBSMiami) — Surveillance video shows the moment a fraud suspect was tackled to the ground at Brandsmart USA by Miami Gardens Police Chief Antonio Brooklen.
“The only thing that was on his mind was trying to get away and I wasn’t going to let it happen,” said Miami Gardens Police Chief Antonio Brooklen.
Chief Brooklen visits local businesses regularly to check in on them and he just so happened to be at Brandsmart on June 16th speaking with the manager.
“At which time they raised him on the radio and said they had a possible fraud,” said Chief Brooklen.
According to the police report, 26-year-old Alvaro Luis Miranda-Acosta was trying to purchase an Apple product worth nearly $2,500 with a credit card that had a different name.
That’s when the cashier contacted the manager who then asked Chief Brooklen to look into it. The chief asked the suspect to step into the manager’s office.
“I asked him if I could look in the wallet to see his identification. He says yes and when I opened the wallet, there was another credit card with a different name on it. That’s when I knew something was wrong,” said Chief Brooklen.
The chief says the suspect tried to run out and they started wrestling inside the manager’s office. The suspect then managed to run out the door.
“In my mind I’m saying, I can’t let him get away. Because if I let him get away, I’d never live it down with my troops,” said Chief Brooklen. “When I got close enough, it was do or die and I just said, jump. Just tackle him.”
That’s exactly what he did but the suspect was still not giving up.
“He still was trying to get up and get away and that’s when the manager and a patron from Brandsmart grabbed him and held him till we were able to apprehend him,” said Chief Brooklen.
Chief Brooklen said he hopes this serves as an example not just for his officers but for the citizens of Miami Gardens.
“You know what? The chief is doing what he’s asking us to do. Hopefully we get the calls to help us close some of these incidents that occur in Miami Gardens,” said Chief Brooklen.
