Woman Says Fake Cop Tried to Stop Her in Redlands Area, CHP Issues Warning

Reported by Patch Editor Renee Schiavone.

A Beaumont woman says a man in a black, unmarked car with flashing lights tried to get her to pull over while she was driving on Interstate 10 in the Redlands area last week, but he split when she started taking photos and called 911.

The California Highway Patrol confirmed to Patch this week the case was reported, praised the woman's actions, and issued a warning to drivers to be cautious and aware of a possible police impersonator.
The incident happened on May 22, according to Cecelia Marquez, who said the man in the vehicle - which was equipped with flashing lights on the dash similar to a police unit and had a sticker on the back that looked like a sheriff's badge - followed her on the 10 from Fontana to Redlands.

Marquez tells Patch she hesitated from the moment the man got behind her near Sierra Avenue.

"I merged over to the fast lane, and all of a sudden he's on me," she told Patch.  "And then the lights came on. . . . I could see a tall, scruffy guy telling me to 'pull over'."

But Marquez says she didn't because her gut told her something wasn't normal with the situation.

"I've had my share of being pulled over," she said.  "But when he pulled alongside me, he looked creepy."

After several minutes of the car driving alongside her and even going in front of her with the flashing lights while applying brakes, Marquez says she began taking photos of the cruiser and called 911.

"I just dialed 911, and then all of a sudden he went to get off at Ford Street" in Redlands, she said.

Marquez said the 911 dispatcher sent an officer to meet her near the Ford Street exit where she got off the freeway as well. Marquez said the responding officer checked the license plate number visible in photographs she took, and the officer told her the man in the black car was not in law enforcement.

"This young lady did an excellent job with the fact that when those lights turned on . . . she was extremely heads up to ID that the vehicle looked a little out of the norm," CHP Officer Leon Lopez told Patch.  "She did he right thing to continue to drive and call 911."

Lopez said the CHP was actively investigating the incident as an officer impersonation. As of Wednesday evening, no arrests had been made.

“Obviously when something like this happens in the community, we take it seriously," Lopez said. "So what we would remind people is - obviously you want to follow the law - so if there is any suspicions that the vehicle following them is not a law enforcement vehicle, by all means call 911."

A dispatcher should be able to tell a caller if the vehicle is registered to a legitimate law enforcement agency, Lopez said.

Lopez said it's also important to take note of exactly where you're at if something like this ever happens to you, another thing he said Marquez did an excellent job with.

A similar case was reported in Redlands on May 17, when a school bus was pulled over by a purported false law enforcement officer. Redlands police later said the man was in fact a sworn cop with another regional agency, but declined to say what agency the man works for.