DESOTO COUNTY, Fla. – A Florida driver was taken into custody after deputies found him driving around in a truck labeled “Booty Patrol,” according to the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office.
In an incident report, deputies said they spotted the truck at Mosaic Arena on Oct. 29, and the vehicle had red-and-blue flashing lights attached to the grill turned on.
Believing the truck was a law enforcement vehicle, the deputies went over to find out what was going on, though this prompted the truck to turn its lights off and speed away, the report says.
While the paint job looked similar to a Customs and Border Patrol vehicle, it was evident that the truck wasn’t affiliated with law enforcement, so deputies chased after the truck and pulled it over, the report shows.
Investigators said they made contact with the driver — identified as Gabriel Luviano-Renteria — who told them he believed it was legal to have police lights on his vehicle.
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Luviano-Renteria was issued a citation for displaying prohibited lights on his vehicle. The county clerk’s office shows that the $113 fine was paid in full on Nov. 14.
However, deputies reviewed footage from the traffic stop, realizing that the truck was nearly identical to a Border Patrol vehicle — save for the phrase “Booty Patrol” being stamped in place of “Border Patrol,” the arrest report states.
Deputies said they discovered that Luviano-Renteria had had several other run-ins with law enforcement due to his truck, and he had a “Tik Tok” account on which he featured his truck.
“He uses this vehicle for publicity and followers and for fame,” the arrest report reads. “Watching the videos, I saw he has hashtags listed for ‘#immigration, #ice’ and talks about how his truck is illegal.”
As a result, additional charges were filed on Nov. 21 of impersonating law enforcement and obstructing police.
The sheriff’s office announced that it wanted to “raise awareness” about the truck, saying that it had been sighted in several other Florida counties.
Anyone who might have been pulled over by the truck or has any information related to these incidents was urged to contact the sheriff’s office at (863) 993-4700.
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