In today's roundup of crime and assorted horrible things: Thieves in South Miami-Dade slash your tires and then snatch your cash, a mysterious ocean bacteria can kill you, seven men hold up an Office Depot, and giant ad towers are probably coming to downtown.
Police are warning residents in South Miami-Dade of thieves running a distraction scheme to steal your cash. Their setup works like this: One person waits inside a bank and watches others make transactions. When a person makes a large cash withdrawal, he notifies an accomplice in the parking lot, who slashes a tire on the customer's car.
The victim drives away, and the crooks follow them until the tire becomes flat. One accomplice offers to help the victim; while doing so, another accomplice takes the cash from the victim's car.
- The inner loop and the Omni section of the outer loop of the Metromover reopened this morning, three days after a crash shut down service. [Herald]
- Seven armed and masked men walked into a North Miami Office Depot and robbed the store and several customers. [WSVN]
- The first reading of an ordinance that will allow two skyscraper-high electronic billboards to go up in downtown passed 5-0. [CBS4]
- Five tourists had to be rescued by Miami Beach lifeguards after getting caught in a rip current. Not that you'll be doing much beach-going this weekend with this weather, but be safe out there. [WSVN]
- Speaking of beach danger: A little-known virus can enter your body while wading in warm waters through scrapes and cuts on your skin. In the past five years, only 138 Floridians have contracted it, but 31 of them died. [Herald]
