San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office
An unidentified teenager who was allegedly impersonating a deputy sheriff was arrested.
According to the San Bernardino County sheriff’s office, the 14-year-old boy was taken into custody on Tuesday, March 6, after authorities found fake guns, counterfeit money, bullet-proof vests and other law enforcement-related items in his home.
Reports indicate that the teen posed as a sheriff in several incidents in San Bernardino County. During one of those incidents, the boy allegedly initiated a traffic stop on a civilian.
After their investigation, police found that not only did the boy conduct a traffic stop, but he also interacted with two other civilians while posing as a police officer in the same night.
The investigation began Monday when deputies were called out to a home in the 13600 block of Mica Avenue in Victorville. The caller said someone had pulled a white Explorer into their driveway with red and blue lights flashing, the sheriff’s statement said. The vehicle had no marking indicating it was a Sheriff’s Department vehicle or even a law enforcement vehicle, the caller said.
The person told deputies someone in a sheriff’s uniform wearing a holster and what appeared to be a firearm walked up to the door and told everyone inside he was investigating a domestic disturbance, officials said.
“The homeowner informed him there was no problem and they had not placed a call to the police,” the release said. The unidentified person in the uniform then tried to open the homeowner’s door, but it was locked. The fake deputy, later determined to be the 14-year-old, got back into the Explorer and left after a short confrontation with the caller. Later, the person notified authorities of the suspicious encounter.
Following his arrest, the teen was booked into High Desert Juvenile Detention Center.
San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office