VERO BEACH, FLORIDA - A news report posted on cbs12.com states that the Indian River County Sheriff's Office arrested a 19-year-old man and charged him with false imprisonment, impersonating a law enforcement officer, and flashing lights. According to the news report, the suspect was placed under arrest after he was impersonating a police officer during a traffic stop.
The Indian River County Sheriff's investigators state that the man was found in possession of a gun, handcuffs, flashing emergency blue lights in his windshield, and a tactical vest. When a law enforcement officer pulls a driver over, that driver assumes the officer is a real law enforcement officer. In this incident, Indian River County Sheriff's detectives maintain that looks can be deceiving.
The suspect stated that he understood what he did was an error. The suspect admitted that he did it and stated that everyone "makes mistakes," and he has to learn from it. The 19-year-old man is facing a felony charge of impersonating a law enforcement officer.
The Indian River County Sheriff's detectives stated that the suspect had the type of police gear that the public would expect to see a real officer to have. The suspect was found with a holster and a handgun, tactical vest, a flashlight, three pairs of handcuffs, pepper spray, and white and blue emergency lights in his car's rear window and windshield. The handgun found with the suspect was a BB gun that looks like a Glock.
The Indian River County Sheriff's deputy stated that the suspect conducted a traffic stop on May 31 along Indian River Boulevard, where the suspect pulled over a motorist. The suspect stated that he would not get into the specific reasons why he pulled over the driver.
Indian River County Sheriff's Detectives stated that the suspect was driving a silver Ford Fusion when he turned on his blue and white emergency lights and pulled over the driver. The driver he stopped had pulled into his driveway many times that night and then drove away, and the suspect wanted to see who the driver was.
The suspect stated that he purchased all of the police lighting and gear on Amazon.com. He also stated that he tried contacting the police about the stranger driving into his driveway several times in a day. However, the suspect stated that the police were going to tell him the same thing that they always tell him; there is nothing their officers can do about it.
The suspect stated that his dream was to become a law enforcement officer.
When asked, "Why do you want to be a police officer ?"
The suspect stated that he wanted to solve crimes that the police officer technically could not or obviously could not solve. He stated that he has never been arrested before.
Indian River County Sheriff's officials stated they know of only this one incident in which the suspect posed as a law enforcement officer and pulled over a motorist. The suspect could face additional criminal charges if other victims come forward.
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