Volkswagen driver allegedly impersonating police arrested in Pierce County
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Deputy arrested a 24-year-old on Key Peninsula for allegedly impersonating police.
- Driver used blue flashing lights; deputy observed traffic stop and made arrest.
- Public advised to call 911 to confirm traffic stops and verify badge details.
A deputy arrested the driver of a Volkswagen with “blue flashing lights” allegedly posing as police Sunday, according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office.
An investigator on the Key Peninsula was on his way home when he saw the Volkswagen with flashing blue lights in a parking lot, Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Carly Cappetto said. There weren’t other cars around, and the deputy didn’t have probable cause for an arrest but gave the driver a warning not to drive on the main road with the lights on. A passenger was in the vehicle.
A post on the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office blotter identified the driver as a 24-year-old man.
The people in the vehicle “had informed him that they were the hazard lights, which is very unusual because hazard lights are supposed to be red ... it just seemed off,” Cappetto said.
The deputy left after the people in the vehicle acknowledged the warning.
“About 15 minutes later, (the deputy is) driving home when he sees the same vehicle and the same driver on a main road with the blue lights flashing,” she continued.
The deputy saw a vehicle in front of the Volkswagen appearing “confused” and then pulling off the road into a driveway, Cappetto said. The Volkswagen pulled in behind the other vehicle. When the deputy pulled over to conduct a traffic stop on the Volkswagen, the other driver saw that they weren’t being pulled over and left the scene, she said.
The deputy then arrested the Volkswagen driver on suspicion of impersonating law enforcement. The intentions of the driver and passenger, who did not have any tactical gear, firearms or police uniforms, are unknown, she said.
Cappetto said drivers can call 911 if they want to check that they’re being pulled over by an actual law enforcement officer. Dispatch can confirm that a deputy is conducting a traffic stop at the caller’s exact location. A caller can also verify the officer’s name and badge number, she said.
She noted that the Sheriff’s Office has unmarked vehicles that can legally conduct traffic stops. Those vehicles — which aren’t marked by obvious emblems or signs that would signify sheriff, deputy or police — are typically used by staff in administrative or investigative roles, such as the public information officer or detectives, who aren’t responding to patrol calls regularly, Cappetto said. Those unmarked vehicles are equipped with lights and sirens to allow officers to turn them on if needed.
Outfitting a patrol vehicle with light bars and “all the bells and whistles” can cost $80,000 to $90,000, so using unmarked vehicles for officers who aren’t on patrol duty can save costs for the department, she said.
