Police in Prince George got more than they bargained for after arresting a 29-year-old man who was pretending to be an officer Friday evening (19th).
A caller noticed a Chevy Tahoe at 5th and Tabor with blue and red flashing lights activated.
Once the caller continued on to North Nechako Road he was later followed by the vehicle until they reached the end of the road.
The caller told police he was at a bonfire when he was confronted by a man identifying himself as “Officer Maguire”.
A witness then asked the man for his badge number and eventually gave it out but became belligerent and started swearing.
Cst. Jennifer Cooper spoke with MyPGNow.com who reminded the public of what they should do if they ever come across this situation.
“If you are in doubt, one of the easiest things to do when confirming the person in front is a police officer would be to call the non-emergency line or 9-1-1 and say you are speaking with someone identifying themselves as a police officer. If they are a member of our detachment our dispatchers will be able to get in touch with them very quickly.”
“If dispatch doesn’t know that they are there they probably aren’t (one of our officers) and we would be responding to that very quickly. Don’t ignore it if you see red and blue flashing lights indicating you should pull over but if you do have a gut feeling something isn’t quite right then you should for sure check it out.”
She added after a fatal incident that occurred in Nova Scotia killing 22 people last year has led to more heightened awareness from both police and the public.
“With the events that happened last year in the Atlantic provinces with someone impersonating a police officer to a very horrific end, I think the police and the public are more aware that this is a situation that can happen.”
Patrick Maguire was later arrested by officers at a nearby trailer park.
After attending a bail hearing, he was given a Notice of Order to remove the illegal modifications to his vehicle and have it inspected before driving it again.
In addition, Maguire is charged with two counts of impersonating a police officer and one count of failing to comply with a probation order.