Orange County firefighter accused of impersonating police officer, deputies say
Firefighter accused of road rage
Anthony Woods boned out of jail on two charges.� He?s accused of being involved in a road rage incident where deputies say he approached another driver with a handgun and said he was a police officer and a firefighter.
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. - An Orange County firefighter has been arrested after deputies say he impersonated a police officer.
Anthony Woods, 28, is a member of the Orange County Fire Department. He has been charged with aggravated assault with a firearm and impersonating an officer.
He is accused of being involved in a road rage incident where deputies said he approached another driver with a handgun and claimed to be a police officer and a firefighter.
According to an arrest affidavit, the driver of an Infiniti said he had been traveling on East Colonial Drive when someone in a gray Hyundai cut him off and started to follow him. He turned into the Countryplace Subdivision and noticed the Hyundai still behind him. At one point, the victim pulled into the cul-de-sac and the driver of the Hyundai stopped facing the victim's car.
Deputies say that's when Woods got out of the vehicle with a firearm in hand, walked up to the victim's car and said "you almost hit me, and I'm a police officer/firefighter."
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The victim had told Woods that he was in fear of being shot, so he drove away from Woods and called 911. The victim stopped at the entrance of the subdivision to continue talking to 911. That's when Woods drove past him, parked his car in front of the victim and got out again, according to the report.
As he approached the victim's car, the report states that he overheard the victim reading his license tag to the 911 dispatcher and said, "Don't take my tag." Woods then got in his car and drove away.
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Woods also reportedly called 911 to report a reckless driver. He met deputies at a local fire station and was arrested after they realized he was the suspect in the road rage incident.
A responding police officer wrote in his report, "I could tell Mr. Woods was not being honest and forthcoming with correct information."
Investigators said Woods eventually confessed to having his gun out when he approached the other driver. When deputies asked Woods why he told the other driver he was a police officer, he said, "That was a slip. I meant first responder/firefighter. I was talking too quickly. That was my fault," according to his arrest affidavit.
A spokesperson with Orange County Fire Rescue tells FOX 35 News that Woods has been with the department since March 2020 but is now on leave pending and administrative investigation.
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