Man Charged With Impersonating Cop, Kidnapping Two Women Leaving Casino
A Phoenix man is accused of impersonating a police officer and following two women from a casino. He allegedly kidnapped and robbed both of them.
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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.
The women pulled over after being stopped by what they believed was an unmarked police card that was using blue lighting. Another car blocked the women in.
Both women were forced out of the SUV and restrained by zip ties and handcuffs then placed in the back seat of their vehicle, per the police report.
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.
Eventually the women were released.
Police say the suspects were located after being revealed on casino surveillance video. Gonzales 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.
- Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com
