A stolen-vehicle chase that began in Coral Gables and ended in Coconut Grove early Friday morning triggered a massive police response, alarming residents who found themselves caught in the middle of an unfolding crime scene.
Early Friday morning, dozens of police cars from Coral Gables and Miami rushed onto the streets of West Coconut Grove in pursuit of a stolen vehicle.
The scene quickly amplified, as a helicopter circled overhead, schools were put on lockdown, and neighbors were told to shelter in place, or avoid the area altogether.
Neighborhood chats exploded with life, as friends and neighbors traded information and sought answers. Rumors began to fly that several armed men were on the loose near Shipping Avenue and New York Street.
Life in the Grove was put on pause.
Mari Lovo, who lives between New York and Hibiscus Streets, was walking with her two dogs when the chase began. She returned to her street to find it blocked by police carrying automatic weapons.
“It was kind of a crazy morning,” she said.
Her plans upended, Lovo headed to Elizabeth Virrick Park to wait. After an hour with no all-clear sign, Lovo decided to walk downtown and get breakfast.
“I guess this is the morning that I’m going to have, and I’m going to make the best of it,” she remembers thinking.
The incident began in the 6100 block of Mall Street in Coral Gables when 18-year-old Larry Youte of Margate and an unnamed male juvenile stole a Cadillac Escalade SUV from the driveway of a home, police said.
The homeowner alerted police, who quickly gave chase, following the vehicle north to Coconut Grove, where the suspects drove the Escalade onto the curb and into a tree at the corner of Shipping Avenue and New York Street.
The two suspects then abandoned the vehicle and fled into the streets of the surrounding neighborhood. At the time, police were unsure if they were armed.
Coral Gables, Miami and Miami-Dade County police shut down several streets until the pair could be located, and nearby schools, including George Washington Carver Elementary and Middle schools were put on lockdown.
“They never made entry into the school grounds and never were even near the school. It was just out of precaution because they were in the area,” Sgt. Michelle Christensen, spokesperson for Coral Gables Police Department, said.
Youte and the juvenile were found hiding behind a house. A resident alerted police and the pair were arrested. No weapons were found.
Police later learned of a second vehicle, a white BMW, that they believe served as a lookout. The car was recovered at a nearby Walgreens on Bird Avenue. Authorities did not know if the car was stolen or who operated it.
Youte now faces three felony charges, including grand theft auto, burglary of an occupied dwelling and fleeing and eluding police.
Although the crime did not turn violent, treating it as such was reassuring, Lovo said.
“I felt pretty safe that there were so many police out, I can tell you that much. The fact that they were really taking it seriously, and not just, you know, oh, a car thief,” she said.
This is the second time in five years Lovo has been put on lockdown. The first was during the COVID-19 pandemic in the middle of the night when a person with a gun reportedly was in the neighborhood.
“I don’t feel unsafe,” Lovo said. “The neighborhood, or at least the block that we live on, everybody kind of looks out for each other. Everybody’s very vigilant.”
The crime, classified by Coral Gables, is listed as non-violent. Coral Gables has not reported any violent crimes year to date and had only one such crime in 2024.
Crime in Coconut Grove is down 33% year to date through the end of May, according to Miami Police, although there have been a trio of shootings on or near the Douglas Road corridor in the West Grove so far in 2025, including a fatal shooting on August 6.
