Man who tried to break into Manolo Reyes’ truck arrested two days later
Miami Police moved quickly to find the man who tried to break into a city truck last week that belongs to Commissoner Manolo Reyes‘ office.
A member of the commissioner’s staff noticed damage to the driver’s side window and reported the burglary attempt at Coral Gate Park, 1425 SW 32nd Ave., about 9:30 a.m. Monday, in front of the District 4 office, and called police.
“Surveillance footage was obtained which depicted a subject walking around the building’s premises after hours and then subsequently can be seen attempting to open the commissioner’s district office doors while peeping inside,” the police statement said. “Once the subject was unsuccessful in doing so – he then made his way to the parked City of Miami pickup truck and grabbed a shovel which was in the rear truck bed and used the item as a prying tool to gain entry to the vehicle – however yet again he was unsuccessful in doing so.”
Read related: Commissioner Manolo Reyes’ break-in could bring cameras to City Hall
That was fast review of the surveillance tape. What was even faster was matching the fingerprints taken from the truck door. But the report doesn’t say how. They “were compared and identified to the standard finger/palmprint(s) of Christian Cabello-Diaz, 26. Did they run them against a database? Or did they run them against Cabello-Diaz because he was already a suspect?
Another officer reviewed the CCTV footage and positively identified the guy trying to break in as Christian Cabello-Diaz, who he had previously arrested. A quick search of the Miami-Dade Clerk of Courts records show that last week’s arrest was Cabello-Diaz’s first. Sources say he is a homeless man who was just looking for a safe place to sleep.
Two days later, on Wednesday, he had a place to sleep: Jail.
Two detectives — not patrol officers — arrested Cabello-Diaz at the corner of Northwest 17th Avenue and NW South River Drive. He was taken to the police station where, sources say, he confessed and was charged with one count burglary and one count of criminal mischief, causing more than $200 in damage.
How did they know he would be there?
By the way, that is the corner where Miguel Gabela and his family have lived for 23 years. Gabela ran for commissioner in District 1 in 2019 and is challenging Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla again this year.
Read related: Miguel Gabela wants a rematch vs Alex Diaz de la Portilla in Miami’s District 1
“My wife is in the pool area and she sees a head pop up over the long wall, looking in, walking toward Flagler,” Gabela told Ladra Friday. “She followed him along the inside to see what he was doing. All of a sudden, police swarm him, like with SWAT or something.” It was just before 4 p.m.
The detectives told Mrs. Gabela, “We’ve been looking for this guy,” he said.
Gabela said he had never seen the guy before. There are not too many homeless in the neighborhood. The bridge is closed. There’s no traffic. “Of all places for this guy to be, he’s walking right outside my property?
“That’s one hell of a coincidence.”
Arrest of man who broke into Miami Commissioner Manolo Reyes’ car by Political Cortadito on Scribd