A Florida man pretending to be a police officer was arrested after he unknowingly committed one of the dumbest acts imaginable – he pulled over an off-duty deputy. To make matters worse, the "fake cop" then attempted to flee the scene.
The incident took place Thursday at around 8:30 p.m. ET. Brett Lee Hastings Jr. had attached a siren and lights to his black car and was driving along when he noticed a car ahead of him and decided to pull it over. What he did not know was that an off-duty Lee County Sheriff's deputy was behind the wheel.
According to the Sheriff's office, Hastings instructed the deputy to "slow down" and park his vehicle on the shoulder of the road. When asked to present his credentials, Hastings insisted he was an official law enforcement officer and invited the unnamed deputy to follow him back to the "station," where he could fetch his credentials.
When the deputy threatened to get law enforcement involved and dialed 911, Hastings fled but was soon stopped and arrested by a Hillsborough County Sheriff's deputy and charged for impersonating a public officer.
A similar incident took place earlier this year when a South Florida man dressed up as a cop and attempting to enforce traffic rules pulled over an undercover detective.
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