A man was arrested for impersonating a police officer after he "pulled over" three people in another car early Saturday morning, officials said.
Ruben Yepes Quiroz, 31, was charged with falsely impersonating an officer and prohibited use of police lights after he used them to stop another car, according to a Miami Police incident report.
Yepes Quiroz, who was driving a yellow Scion TC, was apprehended by Miami Police at Southwest 60th Avenue and 8th Street as he stopped a red Pontiac Vibe with three occupants, the report said.
"The police lights, they were big," said Rodrigo Prado, the driver who thought he was being pulled over by an undercover detective. "You see them, you say 'that's a police officer.'"
Prado said he and his two friends had attempted to get into a club in West Miami, but hit the road when security bounced them. When he spotted those flashing lights in his rearview mirror, he did what any driver would -- pull over. Minutes later, he saw the flashing lights of several patrol units pull up.
A Miami Police officer had pulled over to assist someone he thought was a fellow officer. Instead, he found Yepes Quiroz.
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"We thought he was a detective. Out of nowhere we find out he was a fraud," said Neven Montoya, a passenger in the Pontiac.
Yepes Quiroz told police he had pulled over the car because the people inside had caused a disturbance at the Kopas Restaurant at 5757 Southwest 8th Street where he worked as a security guard, officials said.
An employee at the business confirmed Yepes Quiroz worked there, but a message left for the restaurant's management was not returned.
Yepes Quiroz told police he had also stopped the other car because their license plate was covered, according to the police report.
Officials confirmed the Pontiac's tag was covered with a white rag.
When police took him into custody, Yepes Quiroz gave several reasons for owning the red and blue police lights.
"He said he was a retired police officer, then he changed his version and said he was a police explorer," said Miami Police Spokeswoman Kenia Reyes.
He also told them he works for TV station Telemundo where he uses the lights for movies, the report said.
Yepes Quiroz is in fact a Telemundo employee, which is part of the NBC Universal family.
When police searched his car, they found $1500 worth of electronics, multiple wallets and a concealed weapons permit badge. The property was impounded for use as evidence.
And police believe this may not be the first time he has impersonated an officer.
"Detectives believe that Quiroz may have acted as a police officer in the past because of the way he approached the vehicle. He was too calm and too confident," Reyes said.
Yepes Quiroz is being held on $6000 bond. It wasn't immediately known if he has an attorney.
If you believe you have been stopped by this man, you are urged to called Miami-Dade crimestoppers at 305-471-TIPS.
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