Last week I was at the Starbucks in downtown South Miami, reading on the second floor balcony, when I heard a helicopter. I briefly looked up at the chopper which hovered behind the mall across the street. Hm. Okay.
I looked up again when I heard the second chopper.
I put my book down when I heard the third chopper circling the mall.
All of us on the Starbucks balcony had a collective “wtf” moment and then got on our phones.
I called the dorm front desk then another RA. No one knew anything.
When I got back to the dorms later that evening I searched the local news websites.
Nothing.
I finally called the Coral Gables police, asked to be transferred to the records department, and then asked the elderly lady who came on the line to look up what the choppers were used for by US-1 and Red Road.
Yes it was that serious. 3 choppers warrant a news report.
Turns out the freaking bank across the street was robbed. “It looks like a stick the tell up and run job” the lady told me.
I was annoyed that 1) there are still old-wild-west style bank robberies in the middle of the day, and 2) that no one bothered to cover it.
After a little more searching I realized why: Bank robberies are freaking common in Miami. Four banks were held up by The Big Boy Bandit this year, there was a bizarre “I have a bomb” robbery in Miami Beach, and a rash of robberies up in Hallandale Beach.
What the hey? I’m curious why the tellers aren’t behind bullet proof glass, or, even better, why they aren’t armed.
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