HOUSTON – Two men accused of impersonating law enforcement officers allegedly assaulted an area man and left him in the hospital.
The victim says he saw red and blue lights and pulled over.
He said the suspect looked like a police officer. He was wearing all black and had a badge around his neck.
But when the victim rolled down the window, things got violent.
"I roll down the window. I'm like, yes, sir, officer. The next thing you know -- he just hit me."
With a hospital band still on his wrist, 20-year-old Joseph Castillo explained what happened after he pulled over near the intersection of Witcher and Nordling before 3 a.m. this morning.
Castillo said he had just run to this 24-hour convenience store nearby. Then, he saw flashing lights coming from the dash of a light-colored Crown Victoria or Mercury Grand Marquis.
"He kept punching me in the face," Castillo said. "And then the other passenger started hitting me in the head. I don't know what he had. A metal something. He just started hitting me in the head."
Castillo said one of the men grabbed his wallet, taking off with about $1,500 that had come from his paycheck.
"Most likely they caw me pull out the money at the corner store," said Castillo.
The attack left Castillo bruised and with scratches on his hands and face.
While the men took his money, he still has his sense of humor.
"The next time I'm going on a high speed chase," Castillo said. "The next time I'll pull over where there's people at."
The victim says he didn't get a good look at the second suspect. But the man who came up to his vehicle is described as a black man with short dreadlocks.
He was about 20-30 years old and weighed about 200-230 pounds.