Two men with rifles burst into a Broward men’s shop. It wasn’t what the police thought
From the outside, it looked like a robbery.
Two men with rifles storming into a men’s clothing store. A demand to put money in the bag. A witness calling police. Officers swarming a Pembroke Pines shopping center.
Then, about five minutes later, the all-clear.
Turns out, what went down before 11 a.m. Tuesday at Spazio, a men’s fashion clothing and accessories store, wasn’t a robbery at all.
The rifles were fake — and the men holding them were filming a video, said Amanda Conwell, a spokeswoman for the Pembroke Pines Police Department.
Conwell said the store owner was in on it.
The officers who responded weren’t.
The store’s manager told the Miami Herald that a music video was being filmed inside the store. He said there was a film crew, and that the center, The Shops at Pembroke Gardens, was closed at the time.
The manager said the filming was meant to take about 20 to 30 minutes. But police say someone saw the men walking into the store with the guns and called 911. The city says it had not received a permit for the filming. The shopping center’s management team also did not give the OK.
“Safety is our top priority at The Shops at Pembroke Gardens. We are extremely disappointed that our guests’ experience and peace of mind were compromised this morning ... and unfortunately proper protocol was not followed in this instance,” property manager Annette Alvarez said in an email. “We are very thankful for the Pembroke Pines Police Department’s immediate response and their assistance in expeditiously resolving this unfortunate situation.”
The men aren’t facing charges because no crime occurred. They also had permission to be in the store and didn’t display the fake firearms in a threatening manner, Conwell said.
As for the music video, it wrapped up just as the first officer arrived.
This story was originally published December 8, 2020 at 1:44 PM.
