A man has been arrested in connection with a gold chain robbery in Hollywood and police believe he may be responsible for similar incidents in South Florida.
Ilie Salion Calin, 22, was arrested last week on charges including robbery by sudden snatching and driving with a suspended license, Broward jail records showed.
Calin's arrest is connected to an incident that happened the afternoon of Sept. 16 in the 7600 block of Sheridan Street, Hollywood Police officials said Saturday.
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According to police, a man and two women who were in an SUV stopped to ask a man who was mowing his lawn directions to the nearest Catholic church.
As the man was giving them directions, one of the women started putting a large gold-looking chain around his neck, while the other woman placed a gold-colored ring and bracelet on him, police said.
It wasn't until the SUV left the area that the man noticed his own gold chain had been taken off his neck.
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Two days later, the man's neighbor showed him a TikTok video of a similar incident and the man realized the people in the video were the same ones who stole his necklace, police said.
Police began their investigation and took Calin into custody on Jan. 24. He remained behind bars Sunday on an immigration hold, records showed.
Calin is a suspect in similar robberies in South Florida and in the Tampa area, police said.
Detectives are still searching for the other suspects involved, officials said.
