MIAMI, Florida ( MyFloridaNews ) — Three Venezuelan nationals appeared in federal court on Dec. 6, facing charges related to a robbery and shooting in the Miami Design District. The defendants are accused of conspiring to commit Hobbs Act robbery, Hobbs Act robbery, and brandishing and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.
According to the indictment, Ildemar Jose Chirinos-Torres, Briann Ricardo Hernandez-Castillo, Larry Junior Mendez-Ruiz, Alejandro Moises, and Raynner Jorland Pacheco-Sandoval drove through the Miami Design District on Dec. 15, 2023, targeting wealthy victims. Alejandro Moises allegedly drove the getaway vehicle, while Chirinos-Torres and Hernandez-Castillo were seen on surveillance video robbing a tourist at gunpoint for a watch valued at up to $100,000. Undercover detectives, investigating a separate matter, followed the suspects, during which Chirinos-Torres reportedly fired multiple rounds at one detective, who was not injured.
Pacheco-Sandoval is accused of acting as a lookout, identifying victims with high-end jewelry, while Mendez-Ruiz allegedly picked up Chirinos-Torres and Hernandez-Castillo after they abandoned the getaway vehicle. Mendez-Ruiz, Moises, and Pacheco-Sandoval have been detained pending trial, while Chirinos-Torres and Hernandez-Castillo have yet to appear in court, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.