Crime & Safety

Fake Cop Pulls Over Real Cop in Florida

If you happen to have illegal police lights in your car, you might want to be careful how you use them.

A 20-year-old Ohio man was arrested on charges of impersonating a police officer and unlawfully activating blue lights after Florida police say he pulled over an on-duty officer who was driving an unmarked car.

Here’s what police say happened: Justin C. Anderson, a deputy from the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, spotted Matthew Michael Lee McMahon driving a white Ford Crown Victoria near Jacksonville on Monday. The real cop noticed that McMahon’s car was going well under the speed limit — 27 mph in a 45-mph zone.

When the real cop tried to pass the slow-moving car, McMahon flashed his own red and blue lights, trying to pull over the real officer, according to police reports.

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Anderson saw the lights, he slowed and pulled over to the shoulder. McMahon then pulled up alongside the deputy’s unmarked Chevy Impala, according to the report.

MORE: Florida Man Calls Cops -- 3000 Times

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“He pulled up next to me. Kind of gave me the ‘slow down’ look and pointed this finger at me,” Officer Anderson told NBC’s Jacksonville affiliate First Coast News.

Anderson didn’t recognize the suspect’s face. “We are a rather large department, but I still know a majority of our law enforcement officers.”

According to the report, Anderson then activated his emergency lights, pulled McMahon over and asked, “Are you Law Enforcement?”

The suspect’s answer: “No.”

After his arrest, McMahon was taken to St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office. He was released on $5,000 bond Tuesday.


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