Man wanted in violent jewelry store heist in Texas arrested in Palm Coast
A man wanted in a $1 million jewelry store heist in Houston in which people were pistol-whipped and pepper sprayed was arrested in Palm Coast Tuesday, according to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
Asdrubal Rodriguez, 35, was charged with driving without a license by the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office. But his legal problem in Texas is much more serious.
After he was stopped in Palm Coast, Rodriguez confessed to robbing the jewelry store in Houston and pistol-whipping and pepper spraying people, according to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies searched the SUV Rodriguez was driving and found approximately $79,000 in cash and gold jewelry taken from the robbery, the sheriff’s office stated.
The sheriff’s office first became aware that the wanted man might be in the area when its Real Time Crime Center got an alert that a Maryland tag on a Chevrolet Tahoe came back to suspects believed to be involved in the jewelry store robbery three days earlier, the sheriff’s office stated.
The suspects were believed to be armed and dangerous.
Wanted man arrested in Palm Coast: Accused of violent robbery of jewelry store in Houston, Texas
Deputies located the Tahoe in a parking lot off Kings Way in Palm Coast, but the tag was obstructed by a cover. Two men loaded groceries into the vehicle and it left the parking lot by running a stop sign.
Deputies followed the vehicle until back-up arrived and then conducted a high-risk traffic stop in the 1000 Block of Palm Coast Parkway Northwest.
Deputies with guns drawn ordered the men out and the pair were detained without incident.
Rodriguez advised that he has never been issued a driver’s license in the United States and also did not have one from Cuba where he was from, the sheriff’s office stated.
The sheriff’s office used its Rapid-ID technology to verify his identity.
The sheriff’s office contacted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement which placed a detailer on Rodriguez, who was being held in the Flagler County jail.
Houston Police issued an arrest warrant for Rodriguez on charges of aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon.
The passenger, who lives in Palm Coast, was released without charges after ICE declined to respond, the sheriff’s office stated.
Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly commended the work of deputies, the Real Time Crime Center and the communications center.
“Another criminal made the fatal mistake of coming to Flagler County not knowing that we work with our partners across the country,” Staly stated in the release. “Our Major Case detectives are working with detectives in Houston for his connection to the jewelry store heist."
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Man wanted in Texas jewelry store heist arrested in Palm Coast
