Police impersonator sought in Tucson

Suspect driving unmarked car handcuffs driver

A man impersonating a police officer handcuffed a driver and placed her into the back of his vehicle during a “traffic stop” in Tucson, officials said.

Police say the impersonator eventually let the woman go. No arrests had been made in the case as of Monday.

A woman was driving near a major intersection in Tucson when what she “believed to be a law enforcement vehicle” signaled for her to pull over just after 8 a.m. Friday, according to the Tucson Police Department.

She described the car as a bronze or gold 2003 to 2009 sedan with red and blue lights mounted on the dashboard.

The woman told Tucson police that the man approached her wearing civilian clothing and explained he was an off-duty police officer. He provided no other identification.

He then “detained the driver in handcuffs and placed her in the back seat of his vehicle,” Tucson police said, adding that he “eventually let her go.”

The impersonator is described as a Hispanic man between 28 and 32 years old, about 6 feet tall and “athletically built.” She added that he had “dark, groomed hair, dark eyes and tan skin.”

A $1,000 reward has been offered in a separate impersonation case in Mesa, this one from 2014, when a man claiming to be a DEA agent kidnapped and robbed a 69year-old woman.

That man reportedly wore a DEA hat, showed the woman a badge and identified himself as an officer. He bound the woman’s hands, feet and mouth before he locked her in a room, according to a Silent Witness flier.

Tucson police detectives offered some safety guidelines for citizens if they are unsure whether or not they are interacting with real law-enforcement personnel:

» Officers do conduct traffic stops in unmarked vehicles. As a citizen, you may call 911 to verify the validity while slowly driving to a public and populated area, such as a gas station or busy parking lot.

» All officers will be wearing departmentissued uniforms or clearly identifying themselves. People can request the officer’s name and badge number, along with police issued identification card.