A man who was caught on camera trying to rob a Miami Beach parking lot attendant with a knife has been arrested, police said Monday.
Livan Casola, 23, is facing charges of attempted armed robbery and false imprisonment with a deadly weapon in last month's incident, Miami Beach Police said.
Casola was being held on $17,500 bond Monday, jail records showed. If he bonds out, he would be on house arrest pending his trial.
The incident happened the early morning hours of May 26 at a parking lot at 1601 Washington Avenue. Police said Casola entered the toll booth armed with a knife and with a shirt covering his face.
A struggle ensued and Casola threatened the victim with the knife, nearly stabbing her in the arm, according to an arrest report. "Don't make me kill you, give me the money," he said, according to the report.
But according to Casola's defense attorney, there was no weapon: "Having seen the video, we obviously disagree with what the police report says. The video is pretty clear that there is no weapon in his hand, the lady was actually sleeping on the job."
During the struggle, Casola's shirt fell off, exposing his face to surveillance cameras. He held the victim against her will before escaping, the report said.
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The report said Casola surrendered to police after his father contacted a detective.
