MIAMI (WSVN) - Two men who allegedly impersonated federal agents for days at Versailles were arrested after they assaulted two City of Miami Police detectives.
Cellphone video showed police officers hauling the suspects away from the Little Havana restaurant in handcuffs, Friday night.
Monday night, customers standing at Versailles’ coffee window had one word to describe the duo’s alleged actions.
“They’re quite brazen,” said Randy Espinet.
According to the arrest report, the incident occurred after the men were advised by Versailles managers that they could not continue to bring their dog into the restaurant and harass the customers.
The two men, 51-year-old Ismael Diaz and 48-year-old Alberto Nunezhorta, were said to have been coming to the restaurant regularly with their Belgian Malinois since Wednesday, claiming to be working on an investigation and showing customers various pictures on a tablet and cellphone.
When they were told to leave by the restaurant staff, the men claimed to be federal agents and showed some sort of credentials.
The arrest report states the suspects “began yelling expletives, saying among other things that they were federal agents and they could put everyone there in jail.”
Investigators said the duo insisted the dog needed to be with them, adding they were conducting an investigation.
According to officials, Diaz identified himself as a five star general and CIA agent while Nunezhorta identified himself as a Homeland Security agent.
“[They] believed wholeheartedly that they were federal agents,” said Miami Police Officer Kenia Fallat.
When police responded to the scene, the two suspects refused to cooperate and became physical with detectives.
“One of the men grabbed one of our detectives by the neck,” said Fallat. “They continued and insisted that they were federal agents, and they had no business telling us why they were there.”
In all, officials said, the suspects assaulted two detectives.
“Two of the three detectives were injured,” said Fallat. “Fortunately enough, they were able to walk away, they were checked out.”
Backup officers were requested, and the two suspects were arrested and taken into custody.
“They were charged with a number of charges. The most severe of them is battery of a law enforcement officer,” said Fallat.
Surveillance video from inside the restaurant corroborated witness accounts of the men going from person to person, but just what they were showing the customers remains unclear.
“What the images are is something that we’re investigating, and the reason behind why they were posing as federal agents is something that detectives are looking at quite closely,” said Fallat.
“I would imagine neither the FBI nor the CIA would take kindly to people passing off as their agents,” said Espinet.
Diaz and Nunezhorta were also charged with disorderly conduct and impersonating officers.
The men bonded out of jail Monday afternoon.
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