Man arrested after allegedly impersonating Fla. officer during robbery

By Cristóbal Reyes
Orlando Sentinel

ORLANDO, Fla. — Georgia authorities last month arrested a man wanted in an August armed robbery at an Orlando hotel on International Drive police said he did while wearing a fake law enforcement badge.

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The Orlando Police Department announced 27-year-old Michael Rodriguez’s arrest Thursday as it awaits his extradition after a warrant was issued Oct. 2. Rodriguez, who faces the armed robbery charge along with impersonating a police officer to commit a felony with a weapon and false imprisonment, was also wanted by police investigating an earlier similar crime in Palm Beach County.

“Because the suspect is facing charges for similar crimes in at least two Florida cities, the Orlando Police Department is encouraging anyone else, who may have been victimized by the Rodriguez, to contact law enforcement,” OPD said in a statement.

The agency said its investigation into him began Aug. 23 after a woman reported he forced his way into her hotel room while wearing the fake badge around his neck, claiming to be a cop. According to police, he handcuffed the victim, who noticed a gun in his waistband, before stealing her wallet.

Hotel surveillance video released from that night showed a man who looked like Rodriguez walking up a hallway and entering a hotel room shortly before leaving the scene as cleaning staff worked nearby. Police said other video was used to identify Rodriguez’s car, which they believe was seen visiting other Florida cities that month including Lantana, where police investigated another armed robbery.

On Sept. 8 , police in Gwinnett County, Georgia, arrested Rodriguez, who was charged there with making terroristic threats, according to county jail records. Orlando detectives then visited Gwinnett County to search Rodriguez’s vehicle, where they said they found the fake badge, handcuffs and a gun, according to the OPD press release and evidence photos released to news outlets.

Jail records show Rodriguez, from Poughkeepsie, N.Y., has a warrant for his arrest from New York but it’s unclear what charges he faces there or which agency issued it.

OPD encourages anyone who may have been victimized by Rodriguez to contact law enforcement.

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