Victims robbed, assaulted during Formula 1 at COTA

AUSTIN, Texas - At least two victims were robbed and assaulted during Formula 1 at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin last weekend. 

One suspect was arrested, but police believe she did not act alone.

Formula 1 robbery

The backstory:

Austin police believe these thefts are connected to a robbery series where a group targets people wearing high-end luxury watches.

Officers were called about a robbery and assault on Saturday, Oct. 18, at COTA. According to court documents, a man told police when he was leaving the lounge area, a Hispanic woman fell in front of him. He stopped, and then several Hispanic males in their 20s assaulted him.

It was not until later that he noticed his Richard Mille watch was gone. Those pieces of jewelry cost anywhere from hundreds of thousands of dollars to a few million dollars.

The next day, the same thing happened to another man, who tried to help the woman after she fell. That is when she grabbed hold of his arm, while the group of men snatched the watch from his wrist and disappeared into the crowd with it. 

The first victim happened to be passing by and witnessed this happening, realizing it was the same people who attacked him the day before, and he started shouting to warn the second man. This prompted him to latch onto the woman and not let her go until APD arrived.

APD would not release the mug shot of the woman whom they arrested, but they identified her as being 39-year-old Viviana Garzon Olarte of Las Vegas. She is facing three charges, each with a $10,000 bond. One charge is for engaging in organized criminal activity, but the other charges are not listed.

After further review, there were similar instances at other F1 races.

In May 2025, ex-NFL player Jason Pierre-Paul was at an F1 event in Miami, where his Richard Mille watch was stolen.

Then, there was a video caught on camera of F1 driver Charles Leclerc speeding over a bridge in his Ferrari to chase down the thief who took his Richard Mille timepieces after asking to take a selfie with the star. The suspects threatened him at knifepoint once he confronted them. 

Four suspects were arrested in Milan, Italy, a couple of years ago.

Similar incidents happened to other F1 drivers, such as Lando Norris, who experienced this twice in 2020, and Carlos Sainz in September 2023.

None of these cases has been publicly linked by law enforcement, nor has law enforcement stated that this is potentially an international operation. It is an active investigation.