Men arrested after unhitching trailer from parked semi truck and hauling it away in front of FL State Trooper
Two men were arrested after unhitching a loaded trailer from a parked semi truck and hauling it away right in front of a Florida State Trooper.
The theft occurred in Miami-Dade County Florida, and the two men were being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center as of Tuesday, September 2nd.
According to Local 10, a report states that an undercover Florida Highway Patrol trooper was following a semi-truck that “had previously been identified as being utilized in the commission of thefts involving semi-trucks and cargo-laden trailers throughout the state,” when he saw it stop in the 3900 block of North 28th Terrace in Hollywood, Florida.
The Trooper witnessed the driver, Adrian Teruel, pull up next to a semi truck parked on the side of the road and climb into the cab. Teruel then unhitched the parked rig’s trailer, and drove the parked tractor a block away. Teruel then left the victim’s truck, walked back to the parked trailer, and hitched it to his own rig before driving away with the cargo.
The Trooper then followed behind Teruel and noticed another vehicle following along as well. That person was identified as 50-year-old Angel Basart Peraza, who was acting as a scout vehicle for Teruel. The Trooper followed the pair to Northwest 26th Street and 74th Avenue near the Miami airport, where he witnessed Teruel get out and conduct a visual inspection of the stolen semi-trailer, appearing to search for concealed GPS tracking devices” with the help of Basart Pereza. Both were wearing gloves during the inspection. The officer then took both men into custody “without incident.”
The trailer was loaded with approximately $100,000 worth of chicken at the time of the incident. Both men are being held on $15,000 bond on charges of grand theft cargo and grand theft of a vehicle. Teruel reportedly has two out-of-county warrants and from the U.S. Marshals Service unrelated to the crime in Miami-Dade county.