Suspect accused of pistol-whipping man, stealing his watch in Miami apartment

MIAMI – Police arrested a suspect Tuesday who they said pistol-whipped a man and then stole his watch.

Miami police said they responded to an armed robbery call around 5 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 12 at an apartment near the 5700 block of Biscayne Boulevard, near Miami’s Morningside neighborhood.

The victim, who told police he had been in the lounge area of the building on the eighth floor since about 2 a.m. with a female friend, received a message on Instagram around 5 a.m. from a co-defendant who was not named in the police report. The person reportedly told the victim to to “come down to the apartment.”

The victim and the woman went to the apartment, where he said he asked her to wait outside for a moment. Once he entered the apartment, the victim told police he saw a person behind the door, but walked by them into the apartment to wake his friend who was sleeping on the couch.

At the same time the victim approached his friend on the couch, police said a man, later identified by police as Adrian Daniel Matilla, 32, came up behind the victim, pulled out a black semi-automatic handgun pistol-whipping him.

Shortly after, Matilla said to the victim, “I don’t know what you are talking about, but we need your watch,” according to the police report.

The victim got up and tried to get to the front door where he got into a physical altercation with Matilla. Police said Matilla then pistol-whipped him in the face for a second time.

Matilla grabbed onto the victim’s watch as he was trying to exit the apartment and pulled it from his right wrist.

The victim was able to escape the apartment and call 911.

Police said video of surveillance cameras in the building showed Matilla getting on the elevator and leaving the location around the time the incident was reported.

After showing the victim a photo lineup, police said he positively identified Matilla as the person who robbed and pistol-whipped him.

During questioning by police, Matilla admitted to being at the apartment around the time of the armed robbery but claimed to have left before the time of the incident.

He was shown text messages exchanged between himself and the unidentified co-defendant who coordinated the robbery, but Matilla invoked his right to remain silent, according to the report.

He is facing charges of armed robbery with a deadly weapon and conspiracy of having a deadly weapon.

As of Wednesday, Matilla is being held without bond at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.

Authorities have not identified the relationship between Matilla and the victim nor have they released additional information on the co-defendant involved in the attack.