A 38-year-old Port St. Lucie man is accused of impersonating a police officer after pulling over a vehicle this week in the city.Daniel Beyzer is also facing a charge of driving under the influence.The suspect possessed a fake badge, handcuffs, firearms and an open container of alcohol. The vehicle had fixed-mounted white lights.”The world’s tough enough with having to worry about some impersonator stopping you, and you have no idea what their intentions are,” Chief Leo Nymziec said Friday. “This is such a disturbing incident because the public needs to be able to trust that when they’re being pulled over, they’re being pulled over by a police officer.”On Tuesday, officers responded to a 911 call of a suspicious vehicle with white flashing lights at intersection of Southwest Port St. Lucie Boulevard and Southwest Aster Avenue. The person was claiming to be an off-duty officer.Real officers arrived on scene and observed flashing white lights coming from the Cadillac as it was positioned behind another vehicle. Evidence collected at the scene indicated that he activated white strobe lights mounted inside his vehicle and displayed a badge while interacting with the occupants of the other vehicle. A DUI investigation was conducted, including standardized field sobriety exercises and a lawful breath test. Results showed Beyzer’s breath alcohol concentration exceeded the legal limit. “He had a Smith & Wesson .380 caliber pistol,” Nymziec said. “He had a set of hinged handcuffs. And we did find a concealed carry permit badge, which has no credentials and no authority.”The police chief gave some advice to suspicious drivers.”For the most part, officers will be in a marked car with blue and red lights and be in a uniform,” Nymziec told WPBF reporter Rachael Perry. “Port St. Lucie police officers almost never stop you in an unmarked car. There are situations where detectives will be doing that. But for the most part, it’s going to be a marked police vehicle with blue and red lights, not white lights.”When it doesn’t feel right and when it looks out of the norm, pick up the phone, dial 911, and the dispatcher knows that the police officers have the car stopped, if it’s a legitimate police officer.”After Beyzer bonded out of jail, police are working to piece together a motive.”What was his intention?” Nymziec said. “He was not a police officer. He is stopping these two individuals with no lawful right to do that. Was he going to use the weapon in furtherance of his crime? Those are my concerns.”He is asking people with experiences like this to come forward.”If you have something like that out there that you can share with us, an interaction with this individual, I’d like to know about that too,” the police chief said. “It can probably give us a better understanding of what his motivations are.”Stay up-to-date: The latest headlines and weather from WPBF 25Get the latest news updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here.• Fixed mounted white lights• Badge• Handcuffs
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. —
A 38-year-old Port St. Lucie man is accused of impersonating a police officer after pulling over a vehicle this week in the city.
Daniel Beyzer is also facing a charge of driving under the influence.
The suspect possessed a fake badge, handcuffs, firearms and an open container of alcohol. The vehicle had fixed-mounted white lights.
“The world’s tough enough with having to worry about some impersonator stopping you, and you have no idea what their intentions are,” Chief Leo Nymziec said Friday. “This is such a disturbing incident because the public needs to be able to trust that when they’re being pulled over, they’re being pulled over by a police officer.”
Port St. Lucie Police Department
On Tuesday, officers responded to a 911 call of a suspicious vehicle with white flashing lights at intersection of Southwest Port St. Lucie Boulevard and Southwest Aster Avenue. The person was claiming to be an off-duty officer.
Real officers arrived on scene and observed flashing white lights coming from the Cadillac as it was positioned behind another vehicle.
Evidence collected at the scene indicated that he activated white strobe lights mounted inside his vehicle and displayed a badge while interacting with the occupants of the other vehicle.
A DUI investigation was conducted, including standardized field sobriety exercises and a lawful breath test. Results showed Beyzer’s breath alcohol concentration exceeded the legal limit.
“He had a Smith & Wesson .380 caliber pistol,” Nymziec said. “He had a set of hinged handcuffs. And we did find a concealed carry permit badge, which has no credentials and no authority.”
The police chief gave some advice to suspicious drivers.
“For the most part, officers will be in a marked car with blue and red lights and be in a uniform,” Nymziec told WPBF reporter Rachael Perry. “Port St. Lucie police officers almost never stop you in an unmarked car. There are situations where detectives will be doing that. But for the most part, it’s going to be a marked police vehicle with blue and red lights, not white lights.
“When it doesn’t feel right and when it looks out of the norm, pick up the phone, dial 911, and the dispatcher knows that the police officers have the car stopped, if it’s a legitimate police officer.”
After Beyzer bonded out of jail, police are working to piece together a motive.
“What was his intention?” Nymziec said. “He was not a police officer. He is stopping these two individuals with no lawful right to do that. Was he going to use the weapon in furtherance of his crime? Those are my concerns.”
He is asking people with experiences like this to come forward.
“If you have something like that out there that you can share with us, an interaction with this individual, I’d like to know about that too,” the police chief said. “It can probably give us a better understanding of what his motivations are.”
Stay up-to-date: The latest headlines and weather from WPBF 25
Get the latest news updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here.
• Fixed mounted white lights
• Badge
• Handcuffs