Huntington Park, Ca. (KTLA) — A Los Angeles man is suspected of possibly impersonating a federal agent. On Thursday, police in nearby Huntington Park arrested 24-year-old Fernando Diaz, saying he had a loaded firearm, law enforcement-style documents and other police paraphernalia.
Diaz was arrested that night after officers say they responded to a vehicle parked illegally in a handicap spot along an area street.
Police initially believed the gray Dodge Durango could be an unmarked law enforcement vehicle due to visible red and blue LED lights, police-style radios and a firearm magazine inside the car. But dispatchers soon confirmed the SUV was registered to a private citizen in Los Angeles, not a law enforcement agency.
As officers prepared to impound the vehicle, a man approached and identified himself as the owner, asking to retrieve items that he claimed belonged to a friend. Officers questioned him about the law enforcement-style equipment inside. He reportedly told police he previously worked as a security guard and claimed to have been employed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, but was unable to produce valid credentials.
Further investigation revealed Diaz had an outstanding warrant for driving under the influence and a prior arrest related to human smuggling. Officers arrested him on the scene. During a search of the vehicle, police say they recovered a loaded 9mm semi-automatic firearm, two holsters, extra ammunition, three cellphones, multiple copies of passports not registered under his name, and documents bearing the letterhead of Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection. Officers also say they found a sheet of federal radio codes and other materials they say may indicate criminal intent.
Police say Diaz eventually stopped cooperating with officers and requested legal counsel.
“What this individual was doing with those items remains under investigation, but the presence of law enforcement-style equipment, without any verified authority, raises serious concerns,” Huntington Park Mayor Arturo Flores said at the news conference Friday. “When people cannot trust who is enforcing the law, public safety is undermined and fear begins to take hold.”
Flores noted that amid growing anxiety around ongoing ICE operations in the region, residents have reported being approached by masked individuals in unmarked cars claiming to be immigration agents but refusing to identify themselves.
With this in mind, Huntington Park’s City Council passed a resolution Wednesday night requiring the police department “to verify the identity of anyone claiming to be a federal immigration agent in our city.” This response came days after the mayor issued a statement directing police to intervene in unlawful or unauthorized operations and enforce ICE agents’ self-identification.
“Let me be clear: Huntington Park is not attempting to obstruct legal federal operations,” said Flores on Friday. “What we are saying is simple: If you are acting with federal authority, then show it. Identify yourselves. Do not hide behind unmarked vehicles, face masks, and fake credentials.”
Police Chief Cosme Lozano said the case “prompted serious concern about public safety, impersonation of federal agents, and the need for proper identification and vetting of legitimate federal enforcement activities.”
Additional information will be released as the investigation continues, police said.
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