Florida man impersonated an officer, tried to pull over undercover detective, cops say

A Florida man with red and blue light bars on his vehicle tried to get another driver to pull over, a maneuver that landed him in jail when the other driver ended up being an undercover detective, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies said 26-year-old Matthew J. Erris tried to pull over another driver and turned on red and blue lights attached to the grill of his 2007 white Chevrolet Trailblazer around 8 p.m. Wednesday.

But Erris didn’t know the driver of the other vehicle was an undercover Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office detective, according to a news release.

The detective called 911, reported the “unusual attempted traffic stop” and alerted the patrol deputies, according to the sheriff’s office. Throughout the incident, the detective maintained a “constant visual” on the Trailblazer.

A HCSO deputy pulled Erris over and searched his vehicle. Inside, deputies found a “realistic looking” airsoft pistol in a holster in the front passenger seat, according to the sheriff’s office.

The Trailblazer also had law enforcement lights on its top, as well as the grill, deputies noted.

Erris was arrested and charged with impersonating a law enforcement officer.

The sheriff’s office said it is unclear if Erris has done this before. Anyone who believes they may have been a victim of Erris should contact the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office at 813-247-8200.