Cape Coral police have arrested a 23-year-old TikTok influencer with over half a million followers, Marlena Velez, following weeks of evading law enforcement. The arrest comes after Velez attempted to evade officers during a recent traffic stop, leading to her being charged with fleeing and eluding.
According to police, officers spotted a gray 2022 Kia Sorento linked to Velez, which was stopped on a particular afternoon. Initially, officers saw her in the passenger seat, but she disappeared, only to be found later on the backseat floorboard. The department stated in a release that the flashlight scan revealed her hiding there. Both she and the driver were detained as dispatch confirmed her active warrants.
Velez now faces two counts of probation violation and one count of fleeing and eluding law enforcement. She remains in custody at the Lee County Jail without bond, as Florida law allows for holding suspects accused of probation violations without bond. Her original charges stemmed from petit theft cases valued under $750.
The arrest follows a Sept. 29 incident where an officer attempted to pull Velez over after recognizing her driving. She sped away at high speed, forcing the officer to disengage the chase, leading to an additional fleeing charge added this week. Investigators say her legal troubles began nearly a year ago when she was accused of using fake barcodes at a Cape Coral Target to purchase items at reduced prices, thefts confirmed through security video and her own TikTok activity.
Officers identified Velez through a social media tip and later verified her identity by matching Instagram and TikTok posts from the same timeframe. Days later, she was arrested again at the same store for a nearly identical incident.
Despite the mounting charges, Velez continued posting to her account, @marlenavelezz, which has more than 528,000 followers and 11.8 million likes. Her content includes lifestyle clips, family vlogs, and ‘get ready with me’ routines, the same style of videos that once helped police identify her in the Target theft case.
Velez is scheduled to appear in Lee County court later this month. Her case has raised questions about the use of social media in law enforcement investigations and the legal implications for public figures facing multiple charges.