A theft investigation at Miami International Mall turned into a police chase Tuesday with investigators saying the driver struck a police vehicle and his passenger tossed mail from the moving SUV before both men were taken into custody.
Doral Police said officers responded to Macy’s Men at the mall around 6:05 p.m. for a reported theft in progress.
When officers arrived, they found two men in the front seats of a black 2024 Lincoln Navigator, according to an arrest report. Police said officers issued verbal commands to detain them, but the driver, identified in the report as Stephon Corbett, accelerated away.
Another officer attempted a traffic stop, but police said Corbett continued fleeing, driving at a high rate of speed along the mall’s perimeter road while the area was experiencing heavy vehicle and pedestrian traffic.
During the chase, officers said the passenger, identified as Gregory Edwards, was seen throwing mail from the moving SUV.
Police say Corbett then deliberately drove the SUV into a marked Doral Police vehicle, damaging its push bar.
The chase came to an end when the Lincoln became stuck in heavy traffic on the mall’s perimeter road near La Carreta, the report said.
Police said both men initially refused commands to get out of the SUV, prompting officers to break the front passenger-side window. Corbett and Edwards were taken into custody around 6:12 p.m., according to the report.
Investigators said the chase followed suspected fraudulent purchases at the department store.
According to the arrest report, a Macy’s loss prevention officer had been watching a man make several purchases at Finish Line and in the suits department.
Loss prevention contacted Macy’s fraud hotline and later received confirmation that the purchases were fraudulent, the report said.
Police said surveillance video identified Edwards as the person conducting the transactions.
After his arrest, Edwards agreed to speak with detectives and initially denied making any purchases at the mall, according to the report. Investigators said they confronted him with surveillance footage showing him conducting the alleged fraudulent transactions.
The report says Edwards later admitted using a victim’s credit card and told detectives that “his job is just to swipe.”
Investigators said they recovered 36 credit cards and three checks among the items intentionally discarded from the vehicle. None had Edwards’ or Corbett’s names on them, according to the report.
Both men were taken to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.