Palm Coast Man Falsely Reports Shooting While Trying To Frame His Girlfriend’s Ex

Palm Coast, FL – Flagler Sheriff’s Office investigators say 35-year-old Ariel Diaz reported that his vehicle had been shot three times while parked in his driveway on December 1, 2020. The next day, he reported he heard noises in his backyard and saw someone on the woodline who shot at him. On Friday, January 29, 2021, an arrest warrant was issued for Diaz, charging him with False Report of a Crime, False Report to a Law Enforcement Officer, False 911 Calls, and Fabricating Physical Evidence.  The arrest came after investigators determined that Diaz was trying to implicate his girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend. He showed them texts that allegedly came from the ex-boyfriend taking responsibility for both incidents. Through investigative means, it was determined that the texts were actually sent by Diaz to himself by using a mobile application on his smartphone. During a follow-up interview with Diaz on December 28, 2020, he admitted to sending the text messages and fabricating evidence. He also admitted to firing his own gun at his property and falsely reporting to law enforcement that he had seen someone shooting at him. That information led to the arrest warrant, the arrest of Diaz, and a bond of $12,000. He has since bonded out of jail. Sheriff Rick Staly said that Diaz thought he could frame someone and waste taxpayer resources searching for a shooter thatdidn’t exist. ”Staly said, “His antics endangered deputies and the public. Now he knows thatwhen you call FCSO and report a crime, we will not stop looking until we find the person responsible – even if that person is you! The total cost of this investigation was estimated to be over $1,100 and we intend to seek reimbursement to recover the taxpayer money that Diaz wasted.”