Lubbock resident Ed Cerovski said he was thought he was being pulled over by a cop with red and white flashing lights on an otherwise unmarked car by the University exit of the South Loop on October 25.
Turned out, that wasn’t that case.
“He comes up. He doesn’t identify himself as a cop at this point, but he’s wagging his finger and telling me this is what gets people shot and as soon as he said that I started thinking this guy is not a cop,” Cerovski said. “The last thing he said to me was if i see you again I’m calling for a unit out here and we’re going to take you in.”
Cerovski called the police and said they told him the suspect wasn’t a cop.
“Well first and foremost the only people who are authorized to have flashing lights on their vehicles are emergency vehicles and that includes police, EMS and fire department,” Lt. Ray Mendoza said. “Everything we’ve seen the lights are white and either red but not white red and blue which is what the police department uses.”
This is the second report in the last two weeks of two different suspects pulling over two different victims with cars with red and white flashing lights.
Police said flashing lights on non-emergency vehicles are illegal, but people can get them rather easily.
“You can buy them online and put them on your vehicle,” Lt. Mendoza said.
Police said if you are being pulled over by an unmarked car there are ways you can tell.
“When we do that we have to identify ourselves as police officers, and one of the things we always do when we make traffic stop is we notify our communications center and so if you don’t believe it’s an officer feel free to call 9-1-1,” Lt. Mendoza said.
