Fla. man charged with impersonating officer after pulling over undercover LEO

The man was arrested after sheriff’s deputies say he used red and blue lights installed on his vehicle’s grill to pull over an undercover detective

April 22, 2019 11:49 AM

Richard Tribou
Orlando Sentinel

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — A Florida man was arrested for impersonating a police officer after reportedly pulling over an undercover cop.

Matthew Joseph Erris, 26, of Dade City was booked into the Hillsborough County Jail on Tuesday and released on bond, charged with impersonating a public officer.

Erris was arrested after sheriff’s deputies say he used red and blue lights installed on his vehicle’s grill to pull over an undercover detective, according to a report from WFLA, an NBC affiliate in Tampa.

WFLA reports the undercover detective then called 911 to report the traffic stop, and Erris was apprehended by real law enforcement shortly after. In the ensuing search, deputies found an airsoft pistol and a law enforcement light bar installed atop the Chevy Trailblazer he was driving.

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