Impersonating Authority: A Man's Wild Ride Ends in Arrest
A man's attempt to mimic the police took a dramatic turn when he was caught driving under the influence, attempting to pull over an actual police car. Auckland police officers were baffled when a station wagon behind them began flashing red and blue lights, mistakenly believing it to be a police vehicle. The man, however, quickly realized his mistake and tried to flee the scene.
Inspector Kerry Watson described the scene: "Our officers were perplexed and quickly clocked the car was not police-official. It took a few moments for the impersonator to realize the vehicle they were signaling to pull over was police, and they quickly tried to evade the area to avoid being caught."
The police spokesperson confirmed that the driver was eventually apprehended by real officers a short distance away, with no incidents reported. Watson alleged that the man was not only impersonating police but was also driving with a breath alcohol level exceeding the legal limit by more than twice the permitted amount.
Watson expressed his concern: "It’s bad enough that this person thought it was okay to impersonate a police car. It’s even worse to see impaired and dangerous driving."
Impersonating police or representing a vehicle as a police vehicle is a serious offense under the Policing Act 2008. The 38-year-old man is set to appear in the Manukau District Court on Wednesday, facing charges of impersonating a police officer and excess breath alcohol.
