Drivers in southern B.C. warned of police impersonator after fake vehicle stop

KELOWNA, B.C. – RCMP are warning drivers in southern British Columbia to be wary after a motorist says he was pulled over by a man impersonating a police officer.

A statement from Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey says it happened Sunday night on a backcountry provincial highway in the Boundary region south of Kelowna.

The motorist reported he was followed for a short distance by a white pickup truck and pulled to the side of the road when the driver of the truck activated a set of red and blue lights in the vehicle’s grille.

An older man roughly six feet tall, with blond unkempt hair and carrying a flashlight, approached and O’Donaghey says the stopped motorist got out but quickly returned to his car and drove off.

The suspect pulled off the highway after following the victim for several kilometres and the statement says police were alerted once the motorist was within cell range and able to call a family member.

O’Donaghey says anyone with more information is asked to contact Midway RCMP and motorists who believe they are being stopped by a non-legitimate police vehicle should slow down and drive to a well-lit, populated area.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 23, 2021.