The
Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in finding two
men who’ve been impersonating police officers and robbing residents of Lake
Worth.
The
most recent incident occurred on September 21 when a local man was followed home
by a beige Nissan Altima after getting off the Palm Tran Bus. As he was about
to walk into his house on the 300 block of South L Street, a Hispanic man got
out of the Nissan and approached, identifying himself as an “independent
officer,” according to the sheriff’s report. He then forced the L Street
resident into his home where he demanded cash.
About an hour and a half later, the Palm Beach
County Sheriff’s Office responded to the 3800 block of Kirk Road, west of Lake
Worth, where a dark-skinned Hispanic man had knocked on the door, identified
himself as a police detective, and once inside, told the residents to hand over
their money and cell phones. They refused, even after the man pointed a gun at
them.
There were three similar incidents in the
weeks prior, with the victims describing the thief as being possibly Puerto
Rican or Cuban. Some say he was light-skinned, while others describe him as
dark-skinned. They say he was wearing plain clothes (not a uniform) and a green
hat on his head. In one incident, he wore a badge. All victims described the man
as having a hand-held radio which he appeared to be using to communicate with
someone.
On
September 14, a Hispanic man conned his way into an
apartment on the 400 block of South D Street, telling the residents he was a
cop investigating a drug complaint. Once inside, he searched the
residents and took their money from their wallets. He told them to wait for
road patrol and a K9 unit that was coming to sweep the apartment for drugs, and
left.
On
September 7, a Hispanic man walked up to a resident
who was outside his home on the 500 block of 6th Avenue South and
said he was a police officer and looking for someone. He told the Lake Worth
resident to go inside his home, then followed him inside where he told him to
put his hands up against the wall and emptied his pockets.
On
August 17, a Hispanic man approached three people
sitting in their front yard in the 100 block of South F Street in the early
evening. He identified himself as a law enforcement officer and said he was
looking for a suspect. They told him they didn’t know the person and that he
didn’t live there. The man then lifted his shirt, brandishing a semi-automatic
pistol that was tucked into his waistband and a badge, and ordered all three
into their home. He followed them in, and once inside, demanded their wallets.
He left with the contents. The victims described the thief as a dark-skinned 6’
2” Hispanic man with a medium-to-heavy build, with black hair, a goatee and
wearing a yellow shirt and black or green pants.
If anyone has information about these suspects
or may have been a victim themselves they are urged to contact Crime Stoppers
at 1-800-458-TIPS.
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| Sketches of the two men imperonating police and robbing residents of Lake Worth (produced by PBSO, according to descriptions given by victims). |
"The King and I" opens at the Lake Worth Playhouse this week with a preview performance at 8 p.m. on Thursday, October 4 and the opening night show at 8 p.m. on Friday, October 5.
