Elyria Police say a fake cop struck at an apartment complex on Washington Avenue early Wednesday morning and robbed a man at gunpoint.
The man had a police badge hanging around his neck, a black hat with "police" written in white lettering, handcuffs and a silver and black gun.
Police say the man walked up to his victim, pointed the gun and yelled, “Police, get on the ground.”
The fake cop went through the man’s pockets, stealing his car keys and cell phone. Then the robber put the gun in his pocket and pulled out his handcuffs
“Who knows what was going to happen once those handcuffs came out,” said Captain Chris Costantino.
After being robbed, the victim realized the man was a impersonating a cop and took off running.
Costantino said the crime was such a brazen act, he’s concerned the suspect could strike again.
“I’m concerned because you can see I’m a plain clothed police officer. It puts everybody in jeopardy, the community, police officers. It’s a very serious incident. As a matter of fact, we have reached out to other police departments with a bulletin talking about this. We’ve got a team of detectives working on it. We are out as we speak trying to follow leads,” Costantino said.
Police say the suspect fled in a white Nissan Versa.
