Colorado security officer charged with impersonating police www.privateofficer.com
WELD COUNTY, Colo.Oct 30 2011 — The Weld County Sheriff’s Office arrested a security guard in Longmont who they say impersonated a cop by trying to pull someone over.
It happened at around 8 p.m. on Thursday. Sheriff’s deputies said the security guard, identified as Tonyo Lopez from Longmont, tried to pull over Zach Riley.
Riley said he was driving his black Chevy pick-up truck out of the Longview Communities Trailer Park in Longmont Thursday night when he noticed something in his rear view mirror.
“I saw red, blue, yellow lights. I thought it was a police car,” Riley said.
Riley said he pulled his truck over and that’s when he realized this wasn’t a normal traffic stop. He says Lopez asked him for proof of insurance and that he noticed Lopez wasn’t a police officer, but a security guard.
“His badge said security guard on it, but he told me he was an officer of the law,” Riley said.
Sheriff’s deputies said Lopez works as a security guard at the Longview Communities Trailer Park in Longmont and that he wears a security guard uniform. He also drives a white SUV that has flashing lights like a police car, but he is not a police officer.
Riley said when he realized Lopez was not a police officer he started to drive his truck forward and that’s when Riley says Lopez became violent.
“He jumped up and put his arm around my neck, pulled down on me and with the other hand he reached over and slammed my truck into park,” said Riley.
Riley said that when Lopez put his truck into park while he was driving it damaged his transmission.
He said he was able to get Lopez off of him and then call 911. Weld County Sheriff’s deputies arrived and arrested Lopez for impersonating a police officer. Deputies said it is illegal for anyone other than police to make a traffic stop. They also charged Lopez with criminal mischief for damaging the transmission to Riley’s truck.
Weld County Sheriff’s deputies said Lopez bonded out of the Weld County Jail at around 3:30 Friday afternoon. He is facing two felony charges with the max sentence for both being five years behind bars.
Source:FOX31
