Police: Mother and son arrested for $800,000 jewelry heist in Hialeah

By JESSICA HOLLY, MARISELA BURGOS, CAROLINA BORGES

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    HIALEAH, Florida (WSVN) — A man and woman involved in an armed robbery in Hialeah were arrested after nearly a month of detectives searching for the criminals.

Hialeah Police took 55-year-old Lourdes Diaz and 24-year-old Julian Flores into custody in connection with the Sept. 16 robbery, during which the victim was targeted outside her beauty salon, and a large amount of gold jewelry was stolen.

A police report stated that the victim was leaving her beauty salon, located at 7751 W 28th Ave. She was in the process of loading a large box containing valuable gold jewelry into her 2022 Chevrolet Tahoe when she was approached by Flores.

“The mother was befriending the victim, asking her questions, ‘How much jewelry do you carry? How much does this cost? Can I see? Would you bring it to me to see it,’” said Hialeah Police Officer Scarlett Hernandez. “And then waiting for her for the perfect opportunity to be able to batter her, scare her to death and take the jewelry.”

According to the arrest report, Flores forcefully attempted to snatch the victim’s luggage, hitting her hands with the firearm.

The victim, fearing for her life, resisted and screamed for help, holding onto her precious cargo. In response, Flores pistol-whipped the victim multiple times, causing her injuries.

During the struggle, a gunshot was fired, compelling the victim to release the luggage. CCTV footage at the scene recorded the entire incident where Flores was seen entering a white Chevy Equinox.

As the investigation progressed, it was revealed that the license plate, DDKC16, was previously linked to a black Ford Edge SUV near the scene of a robbery on Sept. 8. Further surveillance footage showed the black Ford Edge parked in the shopping center of the victim’s store.

The investigation led to Enterprise Rental Car Company, which had records of the vehicle’s rental history.

It was discovered that Diaz, the mother of Flores, had rented the Ford Edge and was accompanied by a male fitting Flores’ description. Diaz had rented another vehicle, a 2021 white Chevrolet Equinox, which matched the description of the getaway vehicle used during the robbery.

Further evidence tied Flores to the crime, including CCTV footage from Enterprise Rental Car, where he was seen arriving in the black Ford Edge, and Diaz appeared to be removing items from the vehicle.

Flores was seen exiting the vehicle with a black firearm before entering the business.

Detectives obtained GPS data confirming that both Diaz and Flores were present at the scene of the armed robbery during the incident.

On social media, Flores showed off a gold rectangular ring on his finger, believed to be stolen during the robbery.

Police stated that Flores was arrested on Monday. Detectives said they found a firearm and four distinctive gold pieces, including the ring he was wearing, inside the white Dodge Ram pickup truck he was driving at the time of his arrest.

On Tuesday, detectives received a GPS notification from Diaz’s cellphone, placing her in the vicinity of Northwest 93rd Court and 120th Terrace in Hialeah Gardens.

Detectives established surveillance at that location, and Diaz was observed leaving a residence and entering a white Volkswagen Jetta with a younger white Hispanic woman, later identified as Flores’ girlfriend.

A traffic stop was conducted, and Diaz was found in possession of stolen gold necklaces with price tags still attached, consistent with the jewelry taken during the armed robbery.

Police were able to recover all of the stolen jewelry, totaling $800,000.

Diaz and Flores are facing multiple charges related to the armed robbery and theft of valuable jewelry. They are being held without bond.

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