HIALEAH, FLORIDA — A man who reportedly lost thousands of dollars at gambling machines inside a Florida food store is now facing multiple felony charges after police say he returned in a fit of rage, armed with a sledgehammer, and robbed the business in a violent late-night rampage. He later attempted to escape police custody after being hospitalized following his arrest.
From Gambling Loss to Armed Robbery
According to the Hialeah Police Department, the incident occurred around 11:45 p.m. on November 30 at RC La Atenas Market & Smoke Shop, located in a warehouse district near East 10th Avenue and 32nd Street.
Police say Suniel Arzola, 46, returned to the store where he had earlier lost approximately $3,800 on gambling machines. Wearing a mask and wielding a sledgehammer, he allegedly jumped over the store counter, grabbed the female clerk’s cellphone, and ordered her into the bathroom.
The clerk began screaming in fear, at which point Arzola allegedly dragged her by the arm to the back of the store and threw her into the bathroom, according to the arrest affidavit.
Ransacking the Store
While the clerk remained locked in the restroom, Arzola allegedly used the sledgehammer to smash four gambling machines, stealing the money stored inside. Police said he stuffed the stolen cash into his pockets and boots, then went on to ransack the front counter and cash register, taking additional money and the victim’s purse before fleeing the scene.
Surveillance video later showed that Arzola left the store on a bicycle and dropped an object in the parking lot. A few minutes later, the video showed a woman, later identified as his girlfriend, arrive in a Dodge Ram pickup to retrieve the object, which police believe was the sledgehammer.
Tracked Through Video and Warehouse Connection
Investigators identified Arzola using store surveillance footage and a distinctive birthmark or burn mark on his right hand, which matched images of him both during the robbery and while playing the gambling machines earlier that day.
On December 2, officers located a truck registered to Arzola parked at a warehouse at 4813 E. 10th Court, less than a mile from the scene. Police later confirmed Arzola owned the warehouse. He and his girlfriend were both taken in for questioning the following day.
The girlfriend reportedly told police that Arzola had been away from the warehouse for a few hours on the night of the robbery, returning just before midnight. She claimed she drove to the market to play the machines and noticed a hammer on the ground, which she picked up and later discarded “for no apparent reason,” according to the report.
Arzola denied robbing the store, but admitted he had lost a large sum of money there earlier that evening.
Arrest, Hospitalization, and Escape Attempt
After being arrested, Arzola was transported to Hialeah Hospital for medical clearance. He was handcuffed to a hospital bed, but after being discharged shortly after 1:15 a.m. on Friday, he allegedly leapt from the bed and ran for the exit, police said.
Officers ordered him to stop, but Arzola continued fleeing until an officer deployed a Taser, bringing him down. He was then recuffed and medically cleared a second time, before being transferred to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center (TGK).
He now faces additional charges of attempted escape and resisting arrest, along with the original charges of armed robbery, false imprisonment with a deadly weapon, and armed criminal mischief.
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