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A man impersonating a police officer bumped into the real deal at a Salt Lake City store today.
The phony was after a freebie. First, he went to a Chevron and they gave him a free cup of coffee, thinking he was really a cop. At first, the stunt seemed to be working.
He had the look -- a Salt Lake County sheriff's shirt, police hat, even handcuffs, and a radio -- but when the impostor strolled into the Home Depot at 328 W. 2100 South, eyebrows were raised.
Sgt. Bryce Johnson, with the Salt Lake City Police Department, said, "A person working at the Home Depot for their loss prevention is an off-duty Salt Lake County deputy. He saw him, noticed it was an old shirt and he said, 'Hey, do you work for the county?' The guy said, 'Yeah, how can I help you?'"
The gig was up. The real cop pulled out his sheriff's ID and the suspect took off running. The deputy chased the fake across the street and jumped a fence to catch him. In the end, the impersonator didn't have a gun but did have a folded knife in his pocket
And if it appears he had something to sweat, there may be good reason.
"He's actually on parole. We called his parole agent. They're gonna come out and pick him up and take him back to prison for the holidays," Johnson said.
Police aren't sure what he was in prison for or who the man really is, but he now faces several misdemeanor charges for impersonating a police officer, fleeing from the real cop, and retail theft for that stolen cup of Joe.
E-mail: gkennedy@ksl.com
