Hillsborough County Sheriff(HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla.) — A man posing as a police officer in Florida pulled over another driver this week – but the motorist turned out to be an actual sheriff’s deputy.
Barry Hastings, Jr. was arrested for impersonating an officer when he attempted to pull over an off-duty Lee County Sheriff’s deputy, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
The deputy was driving on I-4 “when a black Crown Victoria with white and amber lights pulled behind him with the emergency lights activated,” the sheriff’s office said.
After the deputy pulled his vehicle to the shoulder, the sheriff’s office said Hastings, 35, told him to “slow down.”
When the deputy twice asked Hastings for his credentials, Hastings insisted he was an officer and that his credentials were at his office, according to the sheriff’s office, which said he offered to lead the deputy to the “station” to get them.
Hastings fled when the deputy said he would contact law enforcement and dialed 911, but was stopped by a Hillsborough County Sheriff’s deputy when he exited the highway, officials said.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said a functional siren box and light setup were found in Hastings’ vehicle as well as a CB radio, according to the sheriff’s office, which said no handcuffs or firearms were found.
Amanda Granit, a spokeswoman for the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, told ABC News that Hastings bonded out of the Hillsborough County Jail early Friday. It was not immediately clear if Hastings had legal representation.
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