A South Florida designer handbag heist allegedly went down in broad daylight after an 18-year-old woman and two teenagers were accused of walking into a Sunny Isles Beach consignment store and taking off with a Hermès Birkin Bag worth a reported $16,000.
According to police, the incident happened Wednesday shortly before 12:30 p.m. at The Brand Original, located on Collins Avenue in Sunny Isles Beach, Florida.
Authorities say one of the 16-year-old teens first entered the store around 12:20 p.m. and looked around the business. Police allege the teen then left and returned about five minutes later with the second teenager and 18-year-old Monique Jonell Williams.
That’s when things allegedly went left.
According to the arrest report, one of the teenagers grabbed the expensive Hermès Birkin handbag from a shelf inside the store.
The trio allegedly ran out of the business and jumped into a black Cadillac CT4 with Louisiana license plates before speeding away.
Police quickly put out a be-on-the-lookout alert for the vehicle as investigators began searching for the suspects.
The following afternoon, authorities say officers with the Fort Lauderdale Police Department spotted the Cadillac at a Wawa gas station on West Broward Boulevard.
But the suspects allegedly weren’t trying to sit around in the same vehicle.
Police say officers watched as the trio switched from the Cadillac into a gray Tesla. Investigators then followed the Tesla and stopped the vehicle near Northwest Fourth Street and 27th Avenue.
That’s when the alleged handbag heist reportedly came crashing down.
According to police, all three suspects eventually confessed to the theft. Authorities also say the suspects identified themselves in surveillance footage obtained from inside the Sunny Isles Beach store.
Williams was taken into custody along with the two 16-year-olds and is facing a grand theft charge. As of Friday morning, Williams was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center with a $2,500 bond.
The two teenagers, both 16, were also arrested in connection with the case. Their names and jail information were not immediately available in the latest public report.
And then there’s the biggest question: Where is the $16,000 Birkin?
The latest reporting does not confirm whether the Hermès handbag was recovered, so there’s no word yet on whether police found the designer bag after making the arrests.
For now, what started as an alleged quick grab inside a high-end consignment shop ended with three suspects in police custody less than two days later.
The case remains pending, and the allegations against the suspects have not been proven in court.