FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – FBI agents revealed on Thursday that deputies from the Broward Sheriff’s Office had apprehended a 28-year-old fugitive who was wanted for engaging in casino fraud in Puerto Rico and carrying out an armored truck robbery in South Florida.
According to the FBI, Edmanuel Victoria, a resident of Hollywood, has been held in federal custody since Wednesday following the armored truck heist near a Bank of America branch in Pembroke Pines.
Witnesses informed Pembroke Pines police officers that Victoria was armed when he robbed the courier outside the bank located at the intersection of Pines Boulevard and Northwest 184 Avenue around 10 a.m.
Law enforcement sources stated that the courier fired six shots at Victoria, who then fled the scene in a black Nissan Altima, carrying an empty money bag.
A few hours later, Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested him in Dania Beach, as reported by the FBI. The court documents indicated that the stolen black Nissan Altima driven by Victoria had sustained bullet damage. It was reported stolen from Hollywood on Monday.
The investigators confirmed that Victoria emerged unharmed from the shooting. Additionally, Victoria was wanted in Puerto Rico for manipulating an electronic roulette wheel at the Tropical Casino de Bayamón and stealing approximately $43,000, according to Puerto Rican law enforcement sources.
Local 10 News visited Victoria’s residence in Pembroke Pines, where his mother answered the door but declined to comment on the charges he faces in Puerto Rico. Court records revealed that Victoria confessed to the incident. Officials have requested that he be held in detention, and a detention hearing is scheduled for next week.
Detectives urged anyone with information regarding the case to contact Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477, the FBI at 754-703-2000, or Puerto Rican authorities at 787-343-2020.
