Florida man arrested for pretending to be a cop after pulling over real deputy

Talk about bad luck.

A Florida man was arrested Thursday for impersonating a law enforcement officer after pulling over an actual sheriff’s deputy, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.

Authorities said Barry Lee Hastings Jr., 35, of Plant City, was traveling eastbound on I-4 about 8:30 p.m. Thursday in his black Crown Victoria when he pulled behind an off-duty Lee County deputy and flashed his emergency lights. The deputy pulled over to the shoulder and the Crown Victoria rolled up besides him. Hastings reportedly told the deputy to “slow down.”

The deputy twice pressed Hastings for his credentials. Hastings said he left them at the station, according to a press release from the Hillsborough Sheriff’s Office. When the deputy threatened to call 911, Hastings sped off and exited the highway at the Branch Forbes Road exit in Plant City.

Hastings was ultimately pulled over by a Hillsborough sheriff’s deputy who, upon searching the car, found a CB radio, a functional siren box and light set up. The deputy did not find a firearm or handcuffs, the sheriff’s office said Friday.

This story was originally published July 5, 2019 at 4:41 PM.