Man arrested for impersonating officer

TAMPA (FOX 13) - A Polk County man has been arrested, deputies say, after he tried to pull several people over while pretending to be a police officer.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office says the impersonator first crossed their radar on Monday, when a concerned driver contacted them about a “suspicious incident”.

A man with “long shaggy hair”, driving a 1994, red Mitsubishi GT with Georgia plates and red and blue lights on his dash was attempting to conduct traffic stops near Rifle Range Road, the person explained.

Deputies set out to search for him, but it ended up being an off-duty Lake Wales police officer who ended up spotting the impersonator in the act.

He was said to be traveling east on Highway 60, still attempting traffic stops as the red and blue lights sat on his dash.

The sheriff’s office says the officer contacted the Lake Wales Police Department about the incident, who then sent an on-duty officer to pull him over.

The man behind the wheel has since been identified as 21-year-old Eduardo Rodriguez.

He was arrested and charged with two counts of impersonating a law enforcement officer, driving with a suspended license and attaching a tag not assigned.