A man allegedly masquerading as a police officer pulled over a woman's vehicle Wednesday night, and now Paulding County authorities are looking for him.
The woman told the sheriff’s office that a man driving a dark-colored vehicle that looked like an "unmarked police car" pulled over her vehicle on Hitchcock Road around midnight. She said the suspect's vehicle had blue flashing lights in the front and back windows.
He parked his car in front of hers and turned off the lights, she said. When the suspect asked for her driver's license, she noticed that he wasn't wearing a badge or a name tag on his jumpsuit, she said. She refused to get out of her car when he asked her to do so, instead requesting that the man follow her to a public parking lot, authorities said. He asked once more before saying "never mind" and leaving, the woman told police.
“It is OK to slow down and proceed to the nearest lighted parking lot to stop,” Paulding County Sheriff Gary Gulledge said in a news release, adding that residents can call 911 to make sure the vehicle behind them is really a police officer.
To indicate to an officer that you are not trying to flee, slow down and activate your hazard lights, authorities said.
Call 911 immediately if you believe the suspect is trying to make a traffic stop. The suspect is described as a stocky black male between 6-foot-2 and 6-foot-3. He was wearing a dark-colored, long-sleeve jumpsuit.
Anyone with information on the case should call the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office at 770-443-3010.
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