Tampa suspect: 'I didn't rape that young lady'

TAMPA -- 

Tampa police say the search is over for a man accused of sexual battery who claimed to be an undercover narcotics police officer -- he is now in custody.

Early Saturday, investigators announced that they found the car they had been looking for and identified the suspect as 31-year-old Luis Marcelo Munuzuri Harris.

Officers spotted the beige, four-door Chevrolet Impala near Henderson Boulevard.

The driver reportedly led them on a short police chase after trying to pass himself off as an officer for a second time.

Investigators were able to identify Harris during the incident.

Police say Harris hid in a ditch after the chase, then made his way to the top of a nearby building.

He was located Saturday morning shortly before 9 a.m. and taken to police headquarters for questioning.

While being escorted to a police car on the way to jail, Harris spoke to local media members.

"I didn't rape that young lady," says Harris.  "It has to do with a sexual battery in '99 where I was acquitted, and now they're trying to do the same thing.  Look at the records in Volusia County.  In 1999 I was found not guilty by jury trial, and now they're trying to pin another rape on me."

Harris also claimed that he did not impersonate an undercover police officer on Thursday, and that his arrest had nothing to do with the sexual battery case he's connected to.

"I had a violation of probation from DeLand for a failure to appear," says Harris.  "A felony failure to appear -- that's all it was.  It was a contempt of court."

According to Lieutenant Donny Peters, Harris was apprehended after another similar incident Friday night at a Henderson Boulevard business.

"He approached two people at Pete's Place and identified himself as a narcotics detective," said Peters. "He displayed to them, what looked like a firearm. They ran for safety reasons and called 911."

Peters says Harris was also wanted in Volusia County on various warrants.

Officials say Harris will be charged in both of this week's incidents, including one count of sexual battery, armed kidnapping, falsely impersonating a police officer, identity theft, aggravated battery with a firearm, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Harris is expected in court Sunday morning for his first appearance before a Hillsborough County judge.

Harris wanted in connection to sexual battery case

Police say around 10 p.m. Thursday night, a woman in her early 30s was driving on Bayshore Boulevard when the suspect flagged her down using a blue laser flashlight near Bayshore Boulevard and Howard Avenue.

The suspect told the victim he pulled her over because he believed she was intoxicated, police say.

Police say the man handcuffed the victim and had her get into the rear seat of his vehicle, which was parked in the median of Bayshore Boulevard and said he was going to take her to jail.

He then reportedly drove around before taking her to a bank in Hyde Park where he used the victim's debit card to withdraw money from the ATM machine.

Police say the man then drove her back to where her car was and sexually battered the victim.

The suspect let the victim go and said he would follow her home, but within a few blocks he disappeared, police say. 

News of the incident now has women in the area worried.

"That's very scary," said Ashley Olsen. "It's something to think about. A lot of people get stopped, you could get stopped anywhere. It's helpful to stop under a lighted area, especially where people are around."