Body cam: Miami cop questioned Calvo about turning on police lights on his car during stop
Newly released body camera footage from the Miami Police Department shows an officer questioning Hialeah Mayor Bryan Calvo during a traffic stop about why the vehicle he was driving was equipped with police emergency lights and why those lights were activated after the officer stopped him.
According to Miami Police records, Calvo was stopped on June 14 at 11:09 a.m. on Grand Avenue in Coconut Grove after failing to obey a right-turn-only traffic control device and then activating red and blue emergency lights on the rear of the black Chevrolet he was driving, later identified as a Hialeah Police Department vehicle. The officer gave the mayor two traffic tickets.
Miami-Dade court records show Calvo has pleaded not guilty to both citations, which carry a combined $308 in fines. A pretrial hearing is expected, though a date had not been set. He entered the not-guilty pleas shortly after the citations became available online, two days after the stop.
The encounter began after Officer Yasmani Gonzalez attempted to stop Calvo for making a left turn from a lane designated for right turns only. According to the officer, Calvo activated the vehicle’s emergency lights after the traffic stop had already begun.
“Is this a police car?” Gonzalez asked.
“Yes,” Calvo replied.
He was wearing a black long-sleeve shirt with a patch reading “Hialeah Police” and was accompanied in the vehicle during the stop by his girlfriend, Melianni Terrero, and their dog.
When the Herald first reported on the incident, Calvo issued a statement through a spokesperson saying: “I was issued two civil traffic citations while operating a city-owned vehicle assigned to me as mayor. One citation relates to a traffic maneuver and the second concerns equipment that was installed on a vehicle owned by and registered to the Hialeah Police Department, a vehicle that was retrofitted before I took office and before the vehicle was assigned to me.”
Calvo has not issued any additional public statements following the release of the body camera footage.
‘I’m an elected official'
When Gonzalez asked again if Calvo was driving a police car, he responded, “This is, I’m an elected official,” before presenting identification.
Gonzalez then questioned why the vehicle was equipped with emergency lights and why they had been activated during the stop.
“You engaged your police lights for me not to go after you, after you committed an infraction,” the officer told Calvo.
Calvo said it was his car, and then told the officer, “I was pulling over because I thought that you were doing something.”
Gonzalez appeared, based on his tone, to be frustrated with the explanation.
“You engaged your police lights. That right there is a criminal offense; I can take you to jail very easily,” Gonzalez said. “I don’t care if you’re the mayor. If I’m stopping you, and you’re not a police officer, you need to stop and not engage your police lights.”
Gonzalez then returned to his police vehicle to review Calvo’s identification and registration. After a phone call lasting more than 16 minutes, according to the body-cam footage, during which audio was muted, he returned and issued the tickets.
“You made an improper left turn,” Gonzalez said. “You activated your lights after I conducted the stop. At that point, the lights didn’t seem like it was an official police car.”
Gonzalez added that, because Calvo is not a sworn law enforcement officer, operating a vehicle displaying emergency lights could carry more serious legal consequences.
“Obviously, you’re not a police officer… that could be a third-degree felony under Florida Statute 843.08,” the officer told Calvo, who is an attorney.
The statute in question relates to situations in which a person falsely assumes or pretends to be a firefighter, sheriff, Florida Highway Patrol officer, police officer, or some other law enforcement official.
The officer also noted that in Miami, officials who use police vehicles are typically accompanied by sworn officers.
“For that reason, you are going to receive two citations today,” Gonzalez said.
Municipal attorneys told the Herald after the incident that the conduct could raise ethics concerns. Asked about that possibility, the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust declined to comment.
The case remains pending in Miami-Dade court.
This story was originally published July 2, 2026 at 4:47 PM.
