Coral Gables Police arrested a man they say was behind a series of luxury car thefts in the city earlier this year.
Officers arrested 72-year-old Pedro Horta on several counts, including multiple charges of grand theft and two counts of battery on a law enforcement officer.
According to police, Horta began his alleged series of crimes in mid-January, when he told a waitress at a Coral Gables restaurant he wanted to hire her as his driver while claiming he had bad cataracts.
The victim, Lucy Rodriguez, reportedly gave Horta $5,000 to purchase a car but was not able to get in contact with him afterward.
Get South Florida local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC South Florida newsletters.
"He'd looked like an innocent old man," Rodriguez said. "(Afterwards) I felt cheated, I felt dumb, I felt like I fell for someone and I gave someone trust."
In February, Horta allegedly met with two different victims on consecutive days to test drive both a Mercedes Benz and a BMW. During the drive, Horta would wait for the owner to leave the car and then drove away in the vehicle.
"... He went to the Marriott Hotel and said the receptionist is my daughter, can you please go inside and tell her I’m here and I’m surprising her that I’m going to buy her this car," said Sgt. Alex Escobar of the Coral Gables Police Department.
Local
When the owner stepped out of the car and into the hotel - Horta is seen taking off in surveillance video.
Horta was arrested last Saturday in Sunny Isles after he was spotted in the BMW that was stolen last month and pulled over.
Investigators believe other victims may be out there. If you believe you were a victim, call Coral Gables Police or Miami-Dade CrimeStoppers.
