Miami-Dade saw not one but two cases of people impersonating our men in uniform in the past day. One was using the powers of the badge for evil, while another just really, really seems to enjoy the idea of being a firefighter.
In the first incident, a man posing as a cop pulled over car salesman Carlos Castro on 167th Street near Red Road with a fake siren while wearing a counterfeit uniform. He ordered Castro to get out of his car and snatched his gold chain. Another man got out of the siren-adorned car and demanded more of Castro's jewelry, but took out a knife, slashed his shirt, and left a small cut in his abdomen. [CBS4]
In another case in Kendall, Miami-Dade Police flagged down a car with its own set of fake emergency lights. The young man driving the car was wearing firefighter gear, had a decal on his back window, and told them he was the real deal. His mother was eventually called, and she says he was not an actual firefighter, he just really wants to be one. The guy avoided jail, but his mother promises to destroy all his fake gear. [NBCMiami]
If it bleeds it leads:
- Several arrests of Miami City officials will be announced today after an ethics investigation. [CBS4]
- More Medicare fraud charged in Miami, this time for two brothers who billed the program for HIV treatments that never occurred. [Herald]
- Police are searching for thieves who stole copper from a strip mall's air conditioning units. [WSVN]
