Impersonating a cop is a big no no. One man in Florida found this out the hard way after he flashed the fake police lights in his unmarked Dodge Charger at an intersection in order to run a light.
October 15, Frank Michael DeJiulio, Jr. was driving a black Dodge Charger when he approached the intersection of a light that had turned red, reports Carscoops. DeJiulio proceeded to do what I’m sure we’ve all seen cops do when they don’t want to wait for a light to turn: he activated his lights as a way to say “hey lookout, I’m about to run this light,” which he then did.
The problem is that DeJiulio wasn’t a cop but between his Charger and light bar, he seemed to be trying to fool others into thinking he was one.
Unbeknownst to him, DeJiulio stopped directly behind a real cop, Detective William Harsanyi with the Hernando County Sheriffs. Harsanyi witnessed everything and proceeded to stop DeJiulio.
DeJiulio initially denied everything because of course he did:
Unsurprisingly, Harsanyi radioed dispatch to begin a traffic stop on the Charger. According to the report, the driver, Frank Michael DeJiulio, Jr., initially denied having red and blue lights. Of course, Harsanyi interjected to refute that. At that point, Dejiulio Jr. reportedly admitted his crime at that point.
Carscoops says DeJiulio is now facing charges, including “prohibited use of lights and false impersonation.” This is in addition to a ticket for running the red light. The real kicker here is the Charger. It was towed by authorities and is allegedly owned by DeJiulio’s girlfriend. His bond was set at $6,000. Oddly, despite the charge of false impersonation, Hernando County Sheriffs say they don’t actually have evidence that DeJiulio was posing as a police officer in any other instances, such as interactions with the public which is a bit of a relief.
