Police Impostor Conducts Traffic Stop on Off-Duty Indiana Lieutenant

An Indianapolis man was arrested and charged with impersonating a police officer after he reportedly attempted to conduct a traffic stop on an off-duty lieutenant with the Southport (IN) Police Department.

The man—identified as Phillip Espique—pulled up next to the lieutenant and used a siren to try to get him to pull over, police say. When the lieutenant didn't pull over, Espique positioned his vehicle in front of him, got out of his car and confronted the lieutenant while armed with a handgun.

The lieutenant was with his family, so he didn't identify himself as a law enforcement officer but he quickly called an on-duty police supervisor to come to the scene. The lieutenant was able to get Espique's license plate number before the alleged police impostor left the scene, police report.

Espique was arrested Monday on a warrant for impersonation of a public servant (a level 6 felony), criminal confinement (a level 6 felony), intimidation (a misdemeanor), and reckless driving (a class C misdemeanor), according to a department press release posted to Facebook.