A Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan was nabbed for impersonating law enforcement Sunday on Interstate 75 in Sumter County.
A driver called law enforcement shortly before 11 a.m. to report that a red GMC Sierra pickup truck was northbound on I-75 when it began flashing red and blue lights positioned on the truck’s dashboard, according to an arrest report from the Florida Highway Patrol.
The pickup overtook the other vehicle from the rear and the driver of the pickup “aggressively motioned” the other driver to pull over “by pointing his finger.” The other driver was in the process of pulling over to the shoulder when the Sierra “sped off.” The other driver said he believed that the Sierra was an undercover law enforcement vehicle, but became suspicious when it sped off.
A trooper spotted the Sierra and initiated a traffic stop at Mile Marker 318 at Bushnell.
The driver was identified as 62-year-old Earl Mitchell Cesario of Tampa. He was wearing a Tampa Bay Buccaneers jersey. A trooper quickly spotted the faux law enforcement lights and discovered that they began rotating red and blue lights when plugged into the cigarette lighter of the truck. A black Glock pistol was found in the center console of the pickup.
Cesario was arrested on a charge of impersonating a law enforcement officer. He was booked at the Sumter County Detention Center on $5,000 bond.
The Buccaneers lost Sunday to the Atlanta Falcons, 16-13.