Alleged fake cop victim speaks out

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) -- One of the alleged victims of a man accused of posing as a police officer during a pair of robberies is speaking exclusively to 7News.

Are Hvalbye and two other tourists from Norway were vacationing in South Florida when they were victimized. The group was walking on Miami Beach, near Euclid Avenue on Saturday, when, they said, they were approached by Charles Diaz.

Police said, Diaz targeted the tourists and offered to sell them drugs. When the tourists declined, Diaz told them he was an undercover police officer. "This guy comes up to us. He wanted to sell drugs. We declined and we started walking," Hvalbye said.

Diaz then started searching them and stole their wallets, IDs and cash before fleeing the scene. "That's when he [said], 'I'm an undercover cop. You think drugs are cool? Miami Beach is not about drugs,'" said Hvalbye. "I was speechless. He got my wallet, he got my bank card, my credit card, my driver's license."

According to Hvalbye, he would have never thought he would have been robbed in Miami Beach. "In this district, on Euclid? Close to the beach? It kind of surprised me, and it was kind of a reality check right there," he said.

Police immediately detained Diaz, but the victims said they could not identify him because he changed his shirt.

Later, the victims did identify Diaz because of a scar on his left cheek, and he was arrested.

Diaz appeared in bond court Monday, where a judge set his bond at $32,500. During his bond court appearance, Diaz proclaimed his innocence. "They could never identify me," he said, "and I was the only one on the scene, so when the police took them back, they let me go, and two hours later, they came and arrested me again. Obviously, they put pressure on these people."

He faces charges of police impersonation and robbery and remains behind bars.

There is a second suspect that remains on the loose. If you know of his whereabouts, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward.

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