Wild video shows a Miami restaurant owner physically confronting a man after he spotted him burglarizing the business through surveillance cameras early Thursday.
Wild video shows a Miami restaurant owner physically confronting a man after he spotted him burglarizing the business through surveillance cameras early Thursday.
The incident happened shortly before 3 a.m. when the owner of El Jardin Latino, in the 3000 block of Northwest 17th Avenue, watched the suspect burglarizing the restaurant through surveillance cameras.
The owner went to the restaurant to confront the intruder when an altercation ensued, Miami Police officials said.
Surveillance video showed the moment the owner and two other people tried to restrain the suspect inside the restaurant.
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"He struck me," the owner recounted, displaying his facial injuries. "We fought."
In the same video, a woman could be seen hitting the suspect with a billiard stick while the owner and another man had him pinned to a table as he kept shouting in Spanish: "Please, my mom is sick, my mom is sick."
NBC6 cameras captured police arriving at the restaurant with guns drawn a short time later.
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As police pointed at the front door with flashlights and weapons, a man emerged from the establishment, visibly injured.
NBC6 cameras also captured another man exiting the establishment shirtless, while a third attempted to flee through the rear entrance, only to be apprehended and handcuffed by the police.
The suspect was transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital as he appeared to be under the influence of an unknown substance, according to officials.
He was later identified by police as 40-year-old Sergio Morales. He's expected to face burglary and battery charges.
According to an arrest report, Morales used two screwdrivers to pop the lock off a side door and get into the business. The screwdrivers were recovered at the scene.
Police also found the money tray of the restaurant's cash register in Morales' bag, which contained $14.35, the report said.
The report said Morales has a history of burglary arrests.
The incident remains under investigation.
