Background: Surveillance footage at the home where a couple were allegedly kidnapped in their own driveway (Hillsborough County Sheriff”s Office). Insets (left to right): Luis Charles and Omardy Maldonado Rodriguez (Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office).
In a startling incident in Florida, a couple was reportedly kidnapped at gunpoint right in their driveway after two men allegedly tracked their movements using Apple AirTags.
Sitting in the Hillsborough County Jail are Luis Charles, 26, and Omardy Maldonado Rodriguez, 32. They face charges of armed burglary and armed kidnapping. According to a Facebook post by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, which also shared surveillance footage of the event, the incident occurred on August 19. The couple had just returned to their Odessa home, located roughly 25 miles from Tampa, around 10 p.m. when Charles and Maldonado Rodriguez allegedly confronted them, forcing them out of their SUV at gunpoint and into their garage.
Upon responding to the scene, police discovered an active Apple AirTag taped to the couple’s SUV.
Details from a probable cause statement, as reported by Law&Crime, reveal that the couple got into a “physical struggle” with the suspects upon finding the armed men in their driveway. Charles and Maldonado Rodriguez allegedly compelled the couple to open their garage door. One suspect reportedly took the husband inside the house while the other kept the wife in the garage, the statement detailed.
Inside the home, one suspect allegedly demanded valuables from the husband, saying, “Give me what you have.” Ultimately, the suspects allegedly stole the husband’s keys, including a key fob that triggered the home’s alarm system. They then fled on foot to a nearby vehicle and drove off.
Interestingly, the same AirTags used by the suspects to track the couple led police to track down Charles and Maldonado Rodriguez. Law enforcement officials, after acquiring records from Apple, found that the AirTags were registered to Charles. Additionally, further investigation revealed that the getaway vehicle was registered to Maldonado Rodriguez.
According to court documents, phone records also revealed “multiple phone calls” in the days leading up to Aug. 19, going as far back as Aug. 7.
Police arrested Charles on Oct. 9. While being questioned, he allegedly admitted to purchasing the AirTags found on the victims’ vehicle. Maldonado Rodriguez was arrested the next day. Both men were charged with armed burglary of a dwelling with assault or battery and armed kidnapping. They are in custody at Hillsborough County Jail where they are being held without bond.
On Facebook, Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said, “To be ambushed at gunpoint in the very place you should feel safest is every family’s worst nightmare.”
