DE SOTO COUNTY, Fla. — Deputies in DeSoto County say they found and gave a citation to the driver of a truck that featured flashing red and blue lights and the words “Booty Patrol” painted on the side.
The sheriff’s office had previously issued a warning on Facebook about the truck on Monday, Oct. 30, accusing the driver of impersonating law enforcement and asking county residents to call deputies if they had been pulled over by that truck. The driver, Gabriel Luviano replied to the original post saying that he only used the truck at shows and did not flash the lights unless he was parked and on private property.
“It was just to have a little fun, you know? It was never my intent to pull over people or nothing,” Luviano told NBC 2, “I have videos of cops coming up to me and they just want a picture.”
Luviano also said he was pulled over while leaving an event in Arcadia on Sunday, Oct. 29. The officer ticketed him for improperly displaying lights in his rims, including red and blue lights, which are prohibited by law from being displayed and flashed by vehicles that aren’t police cars. Luviano was fined $113. All of this happened the day before DCSO made its original post about the “Booty Patrol” truck.
“We want to emphasize that DCSO located the vehicle on Sunday, and our initial post aimed to raise awareness about this incident, ensuring that the public can avoid being duped by such individuals,” the DCSO said in a recent Facebook post.
The whole incident has been the subject of jokes and mockery over the past week, including a segment on The Daily Show where guest host Charlamagne tha God and correspondent Desi Lydic fired off jokes about the truck’s slogan.
There is no indication thus far that Luviano ever attempted to pull over or arrest anyone under the guise of being an officer, which would be a misdemeanor punishable by law. According to Florida law, his citation for improperly displaying lights on his rims depends on whether the lights were activated when he was on the road.
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