Marcos Pacheo-Bustamante, 46, was arrested in Miami on Friday, April 14, on a felony charge of impersonating a Miami police officer after accidentally pulling over a real police officer during a traffic stop.
Armed with a BB gun and a blue light, Pacheo-Bustamante began to pretend to be a ‘traffic cop’ because he was fed up with people speeding and texting on Interstate 95.
Pacheo-Bustamante was driving a Ford Crown Victoria when he approached detective Alton Martin’s unmarked police car around 7:00 A.M. on Friday.
Martin, who was on duty and in full uniform, then arrested Pacheo-Bustamante when he realized he was impersonating an officer.
Via WSVN:
According to the arrest affidavit, MDPD Officer Alton Martin was on duty, wearing his full MDPD uniform, as he traveled northbound on I-95 in a county-issued unmarked police vehicle. At around 7:20 a.m., Martin was suddenly startled when he noticed a green, Ford Crown Victoria driven by Pacheco-Bustamante, change lanes behind him and activate police sirens.
This caused officer Martin to change lanes, yet, police said, Pacheco-Bustamante persisted and continued to follow the unmarked police vehicle. Martin, believing he was being stopped by a police officer, then pulled over to the shoulder of the road, near Northwest 119th Street. As officer Martin exited his vehicle, he immediately realized he was dealing with a police impersonator and called into the station.
After Pacheo-Bustamante was arrested, he confessed to his crime, telling Miami police he had done this before.
Detective Jennifer Capote of the Miami Police Department said that the BB gun discovered inside the vehicle looked a lot like a real gun. Furthermore, Pacheo-Bustamante’s neighbor said they had seen him walking around with his gun holstered before.
It is not clear whether Pacheo-Bustamante has found a lawyer to represent him at this time.
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