Man posing as police officer sexually assaults woman
City police were pleading for public tips Wednesday after a man posing as a peace officer pulled a female driver over before she was forcibly confined and sexually assaulted.
The 25-year-old victim was driving home near Anthony Henday Drive and 127 Street around 1:30 a.m. Sunday when she was directed to pull over by a vehicle with flashing lights, acting Staff Sgt. Barry Fairhurst told a news conference Wednesday.
“She was very brave,” Fairhurst said. “Part of her reasoning for coming forward is she didn’t want other females to become victims and she wanted to create awareness of what happened to her.”
The man who was driving — dressed in what appeared to be a navy blue peace officer uniform with a shoulder flash on the sides of his arms — walked up to her window, telling her to get in his vehicle, which she did.
The man then reportedly threatened the complainant, implying that he wouldn’t proceed with criminal charges if she performed sexual acts on him.
The complainant was then driven to another area near Borden Park, sexually assaulted and then driven home, said Fairhurst. The entire incident lasted about an hour.
While she was being driven home, she managed to discreetly take a photo and video of the suspect. She contacted police in the morning.
Fairhurst said if you have any doubts as to the legitimacy of an officer, drivers can lock their doors and call 911 dispatch to verify if a police officer is on the scene.
Whenever a legitimate police officer pulls someone over for a traffic stop, they will tell the driver the reason for being pulled over and will ask for licence, registration and proof of insurance, Fairhurst said.
The RCMP currently has an investigation into an impersonation of an officer and it is still not certain if the two cases are linked.
All Edmonton police cars have a workstation, which this vehicle did not.
The suspect vehicle is believed to be a four-door, white Nissan Rogue, a model between the years of 2007 and 2013.
The driver is described as white, between 25 and 30 years old with a thin build and short brown hair.
Anyone with information about the case can contact police at 780423-4567 or #377 from a mobile phone. Anonymous information can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.tipsubmit.com/ start.htm.