Auto Thefts Frighten Residents, Lauredo Criticizes Chief

In this image from a home surveillance camera, a person enters an unlocked car before driving it away in Key Biscayne, Fla., Aug. 26, 2019. Resident Silvia Montana spoke at a Village Council meeting about the theft of her car, describing it as frightening. (Silvia Montana via Key News)

A string of auto thefts in tranquil Key Biscayne led to emotional accounts and a testy exchange over profiling and police chase policies before the Village Council last week. 

The debate took place even as the four individuals arrested after Key Biscayne’s alert were released, according to court records in Broward County.

Silvia Montana’s red BMW was stolen Aug. 26 around 3:20 a.m. after a suspect found a key inside. Home surveillance video shared on social media showed a group of individuals jumping over a fence. 

“It’s very dangerous,” she said. “What if some day, they’re armed?”

Press told the Council a license plate reader was hit by lightning and malfunctioned. Nonetheless, Village police did locate and follow the car, but officers did not engage in a high-speed pursuit, which is only authorized when lives are in danger, he said. 

Press said the theft and an earlier spree in July are connected to a multinational auto theft ring operating in four counties that “targets all high-end cities from West Palm Beach to the Keys.”

Council Member Luis Lauredo starkly challenged Press over departmental policy, saying a ban on high-speed chases amounted to a “passive attitude” that overstates the risks. 

“Everyone wants to be politically correct,” he said. “The perception is, we’re not doing good policing.”

“We are not in a massive crime wave,” Press shot back, later citing the Village’s number-one ranking as the safest city in the state. 

Lauredo pressed on, causing Mayor Mike Davey to pound the gavel. 

“You called him out, sir,” Davey told Lauredo. 

Lauredo continued: “Sometimes we need to step over the line of profiling, let the courts decide.”

Press bristled. While Lauredo did not use the word “racial,” it appeared Press took it that way.

“I will not ask my officers to violate the law. I won’t do that,” he said.

At that point Village Manager Andrea Agha jumped in, saying the Village is looking into enhanced crime and fire prevention as well as public information officer services.

In the Aug. 26 incident, Fort Lauderdale police said four people were arrested after Key Biscayne’s alert. A patrol officer spotted the BMW and tried to make a traffic stop, and another pursuit ensued, said Casey Liening, a Fort Lauderdale police spokeswoman. 

Arrested were Mark Kendrick Thomas, 18, of Plantation; Daron James Pubien, 19, of Fort Lauderdale; and Kareem Lendon Paisley, 15, also of Fort Lauderdale, who was driving the car, according to police records. A report described a chase with sirens blaring, ending on the southbound side of I-95 until the car stopped. The men then fled on foot.

Pubien and Thomas were charged with misdemeanor resisting arrest without violence and trespass and were released on $100 bond. Paisley, a minor, was released to the custody of his mother, records show. Police did not release the name of the fourth individual, also a juvenile.

The discussion ended with Press telling the Council they could fire him if they didn’t like the job he was doing. 

“If we do wrong, I’m the first to admit we do wrong,” Press said. “If you feel that I am not doing the job, well, then, that’s your decision.” 

Davey, who acknowledged resident concerns, also defended the chief and the department.

“You do a hell of job,” he said. “Your team does a hell of a job.”