Opa-locka police say a mother had her 13-year-old daughter drive the getaway car after she robbed an Advance Auto Parts store.
Opa-locka police arrested 41-year-old Aviouse Lucas after she allegedly stole merchandise from an Advance Auto Parts store on Northwest 27th Avenue, threatened an employee by claiming she had a gun, and had her 13-year-old daughter drive the getaway car with a 4-year-old also inside. Lucas faces charges of armed robbery, child abuse and contributing to the delinquency of a minor and was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
An Opa-locka mother is facing armed robbery and child abuse charges after police said she stole merchandise from an auto parts store, threatened an employee, then climbed into a car driven by her 13-year-old daughter to flee, with a 4-year-old also in the back seat.
Opa-locka police identified the woman as Aviouse Lucas, 41. Officers said she walked into the Advance Auto Parts at 13400 NW 27th Ave. around 4:15 p.m. Wednesday, picked up several items and walked out without paying.
When a store employee confronted her outside, police said Lucas reached into the purse area of her clothing and told the employee, "I have a gun and will shoot." The employee backed away, and Lucas got into a gray BMW waiting nearby. According to the arrest report, the employee noticed two other people inside the car, one of whom was already behind the wheel.
That driver, police said, was Lucas's 13-year-old daughter. Her 4-year-old child was also in the vehicle when it pulled away from the store.
The employee was able to give officers a description of the BMW along with its license plate number. Using that information, police tracked the car to a home on Northwest 142nd Lane, where they found both Lucas and the vehicle. The employee later identified Lucas as the person who took the merchandise.
Police said Lucas admitted to taking items from the store without paying and to putting her hand inside her bag to frighten the employee into backing off. She also told officers that her two children, ages 4 and 13, were in the car during the robbery and that she had her 13-year-old daughter drive her away from the scene, according to the report.
Officers arrested Lucas on three felony counts: armed robbery, child abuse with no great bodily harm, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. She was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Miami-Dade County. As of Thursday morning, jail records listed her bond as "to be set."
It is not clear from the arrest report what became of the two children after Lucas was taken into custody, or whether the Florida Department of Children and Families was contacted. Opa-locka police have not said whether Lucas has any prior arrests or what she has told investigators about why she brought her children along or why she asked her teenage daughter to drive.
Under Florida law, contributing to the delinquency of a minor applies when an adult causes or encourages a child to engage in behavior that could lead to the child being deemed delinquent or in need of court supervision. Prosecutors often file that charge alongside more serious counts when children are used to help carry out a crime.
The armed robbery charge against Lucas stems from the threat she allegedly made to the store employee, even though no weapon was recovered or displayed. Under Florida statute, a robbery can be charged as armed if the suspect leads a victim to reasonably believe a weapon is present, regardless of whether one is actually shown.
Advance Auto Parts has not issued a statement on the incident. Opa-locka police have not said whether the store's surveillance video was reviewed as part of the investigation.
Lucas's case moves next through Miami-Dade's court system, where a judge is expected to formally set her bond and schedule an arraignment date.
