Resident helps police to capture assailant

Pictured (l-r) are CAC chair Barry White; Sgt. Cadsali Sarralta, Officer of the Month honoree, and Maj. Michael Herrera, commander of Kendall District.

By Richard Yager….

Pictured (l-r) are CAC chair Barry White; Sgt. Cadsali Sarralta, Officer of the Month honoree, and Maj. Michael Herrera, commander of Kendall District.

Unusual circumstances that led to an arrest won awards for both a deserving resident and a Kendall Police District officer. The presentation was made during the Aug. 25 meeting of the Miami-Dade Police Kendall District Citizen’s Advisory Committee (CAC).
Calixto Silverio, of West Kendall, was honored by the CAC as Citizen of the Month after stopping and stepping out of his car to assist police in capturing a strong arm robbery and sexual battery suspect during early morning of June 25.
Praised for his alertness and prompt action as Officer of the Month was Sgt. Cadsali Serralta, the first Kendall District officer responding just after 3 a.m. to the scene at SW 56th Street and 118th Avenue where Silverio saw the attack occur.
While driving his car Silverio witnessed a female victim, screaming for help while pinned to the ground by a male subject. Stopping to assist, Silverio saw the subject flee on foot southbound on SW 118th Avenue.
When Sgt. Serralta arrived, Silverio was able to give an accurate description of the assailant, pointing out where he had fled. Sgt. Serralta radioed to establish a perimeter for a police search with K-9 unit support and, along with Silverio’s description, was able to locate the assailant’s parked car after dogs picked up the subject’s scent and trail.
Tracking the subject to a densely wooded yard of a nearby residence, Sgt. Serralta made the arrest using Silverio’s description, later confirmed by lineup at the Kendall Station where the subject subsequently was charged.
Kendall District Robbery Bureau’s investigation linked the subject to four other cases, each involving sexual assaults during the commission of robberies.
Both Silverio and Sgt. Serralta were honored in front of a Citizens Advisory Committee audience that especially recognized interaction of a citizen with police to apprehend the attacker and give immediate assistance to his victim.


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