A Los Angeles man has been arrested in Huntington Park after possibly impersonating a federal agent and possessing a loaded firearm, law enforcement-style documents and other police paraphernalia, authorities announced at a press conference on Friday.
The suspect, identified as 24-year-old Fernando Diaz, was taken into custody Tuesday night around 10:20 p.m. after officers responded to a vehicle parked illegally in a handicap spot in the 7000 block of South Alameda 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. However, dispatchers confirmed the SUV was registered to a private individual 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 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 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 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. The investigation remains ongoing.
“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.”
Mayor 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.
In a recent press conference held in response to Vice President JD Vance’s visit to Los Angeles, Mayor Karen Bass condemned Vance and ICE for inciting fear within the community, saying, “Who are these people? And frankly, the vests that they have on look like they ordered them from Amazon. Are they bounty hunters? Are they vigilantes?” The mayor argued that federal officials should have to identify themselves, otherwise it will continue to spread terror in the city.
Sharing these sentiments, 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,” Flores added on Friday. “Huntington Park is not attempting to obstruct legal federal operations. What we are saying is simple: If you are acting with federal authority, then show it. Identify yourselves. Do not hide behind unmarked vehicles, facemasks, 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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