Attempted break-in of Miami commissioner’s truck unrelated to one at City Hall, cops say
A homeless man simply looking for a place to sleep is suspected of trying to break into a city-owned truck parked outside of Miami Commissioner Manolo Reyes’ office earlier this week, and police don’t believe it’s related to a break-in at the commissioner’s office a week earlier.
Police didn’t release the man’s name early Thursday morning, but they said he will be charged for trying to break into the truck.
“At this point we have no indication the two incidents are even related,” Miami Police Chief Manny Morales said.
The attempted break-in of the Chevrolet Silverado with the commissioner’s name and “District 4” emblazoned on it happened Monday outside the district office at Coral Gate Park. Workers found large scratches on the driver side window and the rubber seal was damaged.
Only a week earlier someone broke into Reyes’ City Hall office and rummaged through papers, opened some drawers and turned some pictures upside down. Nothing during that break-in seemed to be stolen or broken.
But the timing of the two incidents had rumors flying and created speculation on the part of investigators, who took fingerprints from the truck and pulled surveillance video.
What they found was a man had walked to the district office’s front door early in the morning and peeked inside the glass doors and windows. He tried to open them, but they were locked.
He then walked over to the Silverado, pulled a shovel out of its back cab and used it to try and open a back door.
Miami Herald staff writer Joey Flechas contributed to this report.
This story was originally published March 9, 2023 at 8:34 AM.
