FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Fort Lauderdale police on Wednesday announced the arrest of five people and recovered a stolen Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon as part of an investigation into a string of high-end vehicle thefts in the city’s downtown area.
Authorities said the Fort Lauderdale Police Department’s Gun Intelligence Unit made the arrests late Tuesday with help from the Broward Sheriff’s Office Burglary Apprehension Team and Aviation Unit.
They said three suspects were taken into custody in Fort Lauderdale:
- Jaesean Alexies, 18 – grand theft auto, resisting without violence, no valid driver’s license
- Kay’qwon Bruton, 17 – grand theft auto, resisting without violence
- Devada Hines, 16 – grand theft auto, resisting without violence
Police say two more arrests were made in Miami in connection with the stolen SUV. Those suspects, identified as alleged buyers, were booked by the Miami Police Department:
- Wayne Corts Jr., 35 – grand theft auto
- Jonathan Testaiuti, 37 – grand theft auto
The arrests come after a South Florida man, Andrew James, reported that his 2020 G-Wagon was stolen from a secured garage at his office building on Northeast Third Avenue on Saturday shortly before 8 p.m…