The driver of a “Booty Patrol” truck in Florida, parodying border patrol vehicles, was pulled over by local police.
The driver was cited by Florida police on Sunday under a law that bans vehicles from having similar lights of those used by law enforcement.
Photos of the truck were posted to Facebook by the DeSoto county sheriff’s office in Arcadia, Florida, about an hour outside of Venice in the state’s central region. The white Chevy truck, which has since gone viral, has “Booty Patrol” printed on its side and back, with green decals similar to a border patrol truck.
The truck’s door also features a decal that says: “National Booty Behavior Protection”.
The DeSoto county sheriff’s office posted about the truck on Monday to “raise awareness” about the vehicle, which it claimed was pulling over other vehicles.
“Your cooperation is crucial in helping us address this issue and ensuring the safety of our community,” police wrote in a post that received mocking comments.
In a Tuesday update, police clarified that the driver had been pulled over on Sunday and that the initial post was to “[ensure] that the public can avoid being duped by such individuals”.
Supporters of the “Booty Patrol” truck have been quick to defend the vehicle online.
“What a great way of using county funds,” wrote one user.
Another commenter wrote: “Do y’all ever do actual police work? … really out here protecting and serving.”
Eighteen-year-old Gabriel Luviano, the truck’s owner, has frequently posted about the vehicle online.
In an interview with USA Today, Luviano said that his truck had been decorated with booty protection information for over a year.
“It’s just funny, it was never meant to be anything bad,” he said.
Luviano also told USA Today that he never tried to pull anyone over, an allegation made by police.
The Guardian reached a spokesperson with the DeSoto county sheriff’s office about the incident.
Nichole Celotto, the public information coordinator for the sheriff’s office, confirmed that Luviano was issued a citation for having red and blue lights on the “Booty Patrol” truck, similar to those used by law enforcement.
Celotto declined to provide more details into the citation or claims that Luviano was pulling over other vehicles.
“We merely made the post for public awareness for our citizens of the county and really across the state,” Celotto said.
Celotto added that the “investigation” into the truck has been turned over to the state attorney’s office, but declined to say what exactly was being investigated.
A representative of the state attorney’s office for the 12th judicial court in Florida declined to comment, citing that it was still an open case.
