A man from Prince George’s County, Maryland, has been arrested for impersonating a police officer, police said.
Officers with the Greenbelt Police Department arrested 47-year-old Carl Colston Jr. of District Heights, on July 13, following an incident in which he unlawfully conducted a traffic stop while pretending to be a police officer.
On July 8, police responded to the off-ramp of Greenbelt Road at Route 201 northbound for a report of an armed person. According to police, the victim said Colston drove up behind him and began honking and flashing white interior lights. Colston passed the victim and flashed a badge before stopping in the roadway to block the victim’s car and force him to stop.
The victim said Colston then put on a tactical vest, showed a badge and claimed to be police before speaking into a handheld radio to supposedly call for backup.
Colston then grabbed a pistol, making it visible to the victim, according to police.
When the victim told Colston he was calling the police and recording him, Colston got back in his Ford Crown Victoria and left the scene, police said.
The Greenbelt Police Department is asking anyone who may have had an interaction with Colston presenting himself as law enforcement to call them at 301-474-7200.
