Man accused of impersonating cop, kidnapping 2 women who won at casino
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PHOENIX (KPHO/KTVK) — A Phoenix man has been arrested on multiple charges after police say he impersonated a cop and kidnapped and robbed two women he had followed from a casino. Isaac Castro Gonzales, 38, faces a number of felony charges, including kidnapping, armed robbery and impersonating an officer.
In the early hours of Jan. 13, the two victims left Desert Diamond Casino near Glendale after one of the women had won $300. The women got into a BMW SUV and began driving toward Goodyear.
But soon, the women were stopped by what they believed was an unmarked police car that was using blue lighting. Another car blocked the women in.
According to the police report, the women were removed from their SUV by force and restrained with zip ties and handcuffs. The suspects then put the women in the backseat of their SUV, as a suspect drove the vehicle away from the area. The women told police someone held them down so they couldn’t see where they were going.
At one point, the women told police the suspects stopped at an ATM and threatened to kill them if they wouldn’t reveal their PINs.
The suspects later released the women, but not before taking their cellphones and purses. The victims were then finally able to call for help. When police arrived, one victim still had zip ties on her wrists.
As detectives began investigating, they discovered surveillance video that showed the suspects following the victims out of the casino to their car. This led them to the arrest of Gonzales in Phoenix two days later. But police say he tried to elude arrest, barricading himself in a house and hiding in an attic before a SWAT team finally took him into custody.
In a later police interview, Gonzales admitted being at the casino the night of the crime, but says he went directly home from the casino.
Gonzales was on probation for a weapons violation and was wanted on a warrant. He’s being held without bond.
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