Tampa Man Accused Of Impersonating Officer, Pulling Drivers Over

TAMPA, FL — Tampa police have arrested a 36-year-old man accused of using red and blue flashing lights to pull over drivers and then pretending to be a police officer.

Tampa Police responded to a report of a suspicious SUV with red and blue lights in the area of New Tampa and Bruce B. Downs boulevards Saturday morning after being alerted by the Florida Highway Patrol about an incident on Interstate 75 earlier that morning in which a police impersonator took a firearm from a driver, according to a Tampa police report.

A Tampa police officer spotted a 2020 gray Range Rover with red and blue lights activated on Bruce B. Downs and pulled up as the police impersonator pulled a person over and asked for a driver's license, registration and proof of insurance, said police.

While holding the documents, the police impersonator saw the real police officer pull up and returned the documents to the owner. He then walked toward his Range Rover where the officer arrested him before he could get into the driver's seat, according to police reports.

The man has been identified as John Inglis of the 8000 block of Nature Cove Way in Tampa.

Police said they found a gun consistent with the one that had been taken from the driver earlier that morning. Police also learned that Inglis has a Risk Protection Order.

Risk Protection Orders were initiated following the passage of the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act. The order restricts the possession of firearms and ammunition by people who pose a danger to themselves or others.

Inglis was charged with violating the Risk Protection Order and impersonating a police officer.

Tampa police offered the following tips to drivers who suspect they're being pulled over by someone impersonating a police officer:

• Look for a safe place to pull over
• Signal your intent and slow down (activate your hazard lights)
• Call 911 to confirm it is an officer; be sure to provide the call-taker with your location, vehicle description and license plate
• Keep your doors locked while the dispatcher checks
• Ask the officer for his or her name and badge number, and confirm the information with 911.