OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – A man deputies say had his SUV equipped with flashing lights and a siren is facing charges for allegedly pulling a driver over in Osceola County.
The 18-year-old victim says he and a friend were driving on Buenaventura Blvd. at about 6:30 p.m. on March 5th when he observed an SUV stopped in the roadway blocking traffic.
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The man drove around the stopped vehicle and continued driving. The suspect, 59-year-old Carlos Barros-Villahermosa, drove the Chevy SUV behind the suspect and activated blue flashing lights, deputies say.
The Sheriff’s Office says the victim pulled into a parking lot and Barros-Villahermosa approached the victim’s vehicle and identified himself as a police officer. The suspect asked for the victim’s driver’s license and registration and began arguing with the victim about his driving. The victim observed what he believed to be an undercover law enforcement vehicle in the parking lot and told Barros-Villahermosa he wanted another officer on the scene. Barros-Villahermosa then returned to his vehicle, a 2003 Chevy Trailblazer, and quickly left the parking lot, deputies say.
A passenger in the victim’s car recorded video of the suspect and the suspect’s SUV. A deputy then tracked down Barros-Villahermosa who reportedly had a badge and gun displayed. Barros-Villahermosa told the deputy that he works as a contract investigator for the Department of Defense and that he was a retired police officer from Puerto Rico.
Barros-Villahermosa was arrested for impersonating a police officer and false imprisonment.
The SUV was impounded and was found to have a switch inside that activated blue exterior lights. A switch in the console also activated an audible siren.
Anyone that has been stopped by Barros-Villahermosa, identifying himself as a police officer in a previous incident, is asked to reach out to the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office.