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Florida Man Impersonates Officer in "Traffic Stop" of Actual Officer

A Florida man was arrested for impersonating an officer during a traffic stop of a plainclothes detective with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

April 23, 2019
Florida Man Impersonates Officer in "Traffic Stop" of Actual Officer

When 26-year-old Matthew Joseph Erris decided impersonate an officer and initiate a traffic stop, he had no idea the other driver was a real undercover detective with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

Credit:

Image courtesy of Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office / Facebook.

A Florida man was arrested for impersonating an officer during a traffic stop of a plainclothes detective with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

According to the Tampa Bay Times , the subject reportedly lit up blue and red lights installed in the grill of his vehicle. The detective refused to pull over. The subject—identified as 26-year-old Matthew Joseph Erris—merged over to the inside lane, turned off the emergency lights and passed the detective, who subsequently called dispatchers to alert patrol deputies, police say. A deputy in a marked vehicle then pulled Erris over.

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The agency posted on Facebook , "OOPS: When 26-year-old Matthew Joseph Erris decided to play cop, turn on his red and blue lights and pull somebody over, he had no idea the other driver was a REAL undercover HCSO detective! Deputies did a REAL traffic stop on Erris. They found an airsoft pistol under his passenger seat. Erris is now facing a charge for impersonating a law enforcement officer."