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Congratulations to Officer Bianca Torres, recipient of the City of Coral Gables “Officer of the Month Award,” for September 2023.
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On Friday, September 1, 2023, at approximately 6:47 p.m., Officer Torres observed a white 2021 Cadillac Escalade bearing Florida Transporter Tag traveling eastbound on the 5100 block of SW Eighth Street. Officer Torres began driving behind the listed vehicle and conducted an FCIC/NCIC query on the license plate, which didn’t provide any vehicle information, only that it was registered to “Xpress Transport Inc’. Officer Torres subsequently initiated a traffic stop on the 5200 block of SW Eighth Street.
As the vehicle came to a stop, Officer Torres made contact with the driver, who identified himself using his Florida driver’s license as Mr. Hector Perez (Offender). Mr. Perez spontaneously stated he was transporting the vehicle from California to Miami; however, he could not provide an address to where he was transporting the vehicle. Mr. Perez was asked to provide paperwork for the vehicle, and he stated he did not have it with him. Officer Torres allowed Mr. Perez to have the papers brought to the location of the traffic stop to verify where the vehicle was being transported to; however, the paperwork did not have any signatures from any party regarding the vehicle being released to the company for transportation. Additionally, Mr. Perez did not have any paperwork for the vehicle revealing ownership. An FCIC/NCIC query on the vehicle’s VIN number revealed it was stolen. CGPD Teletype Operator confirmed the vehicle was reported as stolen on June 20, 2023, by Garden Grove Police Department, located in California. Mr. Perez was subsequently arrested for possession of a stolen vehicle. Garden Grove Police Department notified the owner of the vehicle of its recovery. The victim contacted Coral Gables Dispatch (non-emergency) and Officer Torres spoke with him over the phone. Officer Torres confirmed with him that the vehicle was recovered and was being transported by Downtown Towing to their storage facility.
He inquired about the condition of his vehicle, and she notified him the vehicle was in good condition.
Officer Torres’ proactiveness led to the recovery of a stolen vehicle and to the arrest of an individual, who has an extensive criminal past including multiple traffic violations, assault, battery, drag racing, grand theft, and dealing in stolen property. Officer Torres continues with the investigation and makes contact with the owner of the vehicle and provided him a resolution and conclusion to his stolen vehicle incident.