A Miami woman is speaking out after being robbed at knifepoint inside the travel agency where she works, describing the moment she thought she was going to die.
Police are continuing their search for the suspect, who posed as a customer before attacking her.
“He pokes me and says ‘this is a robbery'”
Maria Landa said the man who robbed her on Monday morning at the Ibsoa travel agency, on SW 8th Street and 59th Avenue, near Coral Gables, appeared to be a client.
“He pokes me and he says ‘this is a robbery,'” Landa said.
Landa said she was sitting at her desk on the phone with a client when the man knocked on the door. She let him in, thinking he was a customer. Moments later, he sat across from her, then stood up and pulled out a knife.
“You were sitting here, he stands up behind you and he pokes you with a knife right here and then he walks over there,” she explained, recounting the moment he moved toward a back room while holding the weapon.
“So many things were going through my mind”
Landa said she was filled with fear.
“So many things were going through my mind… I thought I was going to die,” she said.
With the knife still pressed against her, the man demanded money.
“He became very agitated,” she added, saying she tried to remain calm and follow his orders and explaining that she had handed over $200 from her purse and a gold bracelet.
Before fleeing, she said, he issued a chilling warning. “Before leaving, he told me to turn around so he wouldn’t kill me.”
“He is a very dangerous man”
Surveillance cameras captured clear footage of the suspect, who police are still trying to identify.
“Believe me, he is a very dangerous man,” she said.
Miami Police seek help
Miami Police robbery detectives said the suspect fled eastbound on SW 8th Street. He is described as being around 65 to 68 years old, 5 feet 5 inches tall, medium build, clean-shaven and last seen wearing a white shirt and light blue jeans. He spoke with an accent and was armed with a silver knife.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Miami Police Department’s Robbery Unit at (305) 603-6370 or Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-TIPS (8477).
