INDIANTOWN, Fla. — The Martin County Sheriff’s Office has arrested an man accused of impersonating a federal law enforcement agent.
José Juan Lopez, 23, was taken into custody after two men reported a suspicious interaction where Lopez allegedly performed a fake traffic stop.
It happened around 3 a.m Thursday. According to investigators, Lopez pulled in front of the victims' vehicle in Indiantown and demanded their identification and immigration status.
The two Hispanic males, sensing something was wrong, managed to drive away and immediately called 911. Lopez, who was wearing pajama pants and a backwards hat at the time of the alleged incident, told the victims he was an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent.
“They obviously knew something was up. They don't normally see ICE agents dressed in pajama pants or just jumping out randomly without some sort of real hardcore identification,” said Major Ruben Romero with the Martin County Sheriff's Office.
The sheriff’s office believes Lopez was intentionally targeting suspected undocumented migrants.
Major Romero added, “most of our undocumented population can be vulnerable because they don’t have the ability to open up a bank account or they live in a rooming house where they have to keep all of their belongings with them, so sometimes these criminal types, they know that and they will use that to victimize them.”
After Lopez was arrested, he claimed that the victims had threatened him with deportation. After further questioning, deputies charged him with impersonating a federal law enforcement agent, a felony in Florida.
Lopez has a prior criminal record, including charges for resisting arrest, possession of a controlled substance, violation of probation, child abuse, domestic battery, and battery.
The Martin County Sheriff’s Office is still investigating Lopez’s motives.
They are encouraging anyone who believes they may have been a victim of similar incident to come forward.
Lopez remains in the Martin County Jail on a $2,500 bond.
