A man wearing a fake badge forced his way into a woman’s hotel room in Orlando, Florida and robbed her at gunpoint, police said.
According to a release from the Orlando Police Department, authorities were called to a hotel along a busy stretch in the Sunshine State filled with vacation resorts on Aug. 23.
A woman told police that an unknown man, wearing a “badge” around his neck, claimed to be a police officer and forced entry into her room. The victim told police that the suspect restrained her in handcuffs and stole her wallet while displaying what appeared to be a handgun in his waistband.
The woman’s account was corroborated by surveillance footage from the hotel, which showed the suspect arrival on the hotel floor and a closeup of his fake badge.
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Michael Darren Jesse Rodriguez was seen at an Orlando hotel on surveillance video. (Orlando Police Department)
Using the surveillance footage, police identified 27-year-old Michael Darren Jesse Rodriguez as the suspect.
Authorities said that this was not Rodriguez’s first stunt, with the 27-year-old performing similar robberies at a Days Inn in Miami Springs and in Lantana, Florida.
The alleged badge that Michael Darren Jesse Rodriguez allegedly used to impersonate a police officer. (Orlando Police Department)
Michael Darren Jesse Rodriguez allegedly used a handgun and handcuffs to rob a woman at an Orlando resort. (Orlando Police Department)
On Sept. 8, 2024, the Gwinnett County Police Department in Georgia apprehended Rodriguez while driving the same vehicle connected to the Orlando and Lantana incidents.
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Detectives in Orlando traveled to Georgia to search the suspect’s vehicles, and they recovered a fake police badge, handcuffs, and additional evidence related to both cases.
Michael Darren Jesse Rodriguez faces charges including falsely impersonating an officer to commit a felony with a weapon, false imprisonment with a weapon, and robbery with a firearm. (Orlando Police Department)
Orlando police obtained an arrest warrant for Rodriguez, and he was arrested on Oct. 2.
Rodriguez was charged with falsely impersonating an officer to commit a felony with a weapon, false imprisonment with a weapon, and robbery with a firearm.
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Orlando police urged any other potential victims of Rodriguez to contact law enforcement at 800-423-TIPS (8477).
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Orlando Police Department for comment.
