Current:Home > StocksTexas man accused of impersonating cop after reports say he tried to pull over deputies -NextFrontier Finance
Texas man accused of impersonating cop after reports say he tried to pull over deputies
View
Date:2025-04-14 05:26:45
A Houston man is facing criminal charges after police say he impersonated an officer and attempted to pull over undercover sheriff's deputies over the weekend, though another official says he was actually trying to break up a crowd at a street race.
Shaun Arnold, 42, was charged with impersonating a public servant and unlawfully possessing body armor as a felon, Harris County court records show. The charging document says Arnold attempted to imitate a Houston police officer.
Arnold was in a white Hyundai Santa Fe equipped with sirens and red and blue emergency lights when it seemed like he tried pulling over the undercover deputies on Saturday, the Harris County Sheriff's Office said, KHOU-TV reported.
The undercover deputies notified officers with the Harris County Sheriff's Office, who conducted a traffic stop and pulled Arnold over, according to KHOU-TV. Arnold was "fully equipped to deceive" by wearing a police uniform, ballistic vest, body-worn camera and badge, police told the station.
The sheriff's office also found a BB gun, Taser, police radios and other "police-related equipment" in Arnold's vehicle, according to a probable cause statement filed in court.
The Harris County Sheriff's Office did not respond to USA TODAY's request for comment Tuesday.
Shaun Arnold may not have pulled undercover deputies over, reports say
A senior deputy with the Harris County Sheriff's Office said Arnold didn't try to pull over the undercover deputies in a fake traffic stop, the Houston Chronicle reported. He told the outlet Arnold was using the sirens and lights on his vehicle to part a crowd who gathered for a street race.
When the undercover deputies saw what Arnold was doing, they contacted an officer in a marked vehicle who eventually pulled the 42-year-old over, the senior deputy said, according to the Houston Chronicle.
"He wasn't trying to pull people over," the senior deputy said, the Houston-Texas-based outlet reported. "He was trying to pull people out of the way and drive through."
Shaun Arnold was convicted of impersonating a police officer before
The probable cause document also showed Arnold has a history of impersonating police officers, including prior convictions of the offense in Illinois (2002), Missouri (2015) and Jefferson County, Texas (2001).
Arnold also told authorities he knew he was not supposed to have lights on his vehicle, the probable cause document said.
Arnold remains in Harris County jail on a $15,000 bond, according to inmate records.
Shaun Arnold's attorney says people should hold judgment until 'facts come out'
Ryan Fremuth, Arnold's defense attorney, told the Houston Chronicle the initial reports about his client aren't factually correct.
"When the facts come out, I don't think that story is going to match up with what really happened," Fremuth told the outlet.
USA TODAY contacted Fremuth's firm on Tuesday afternoon but did not receive a response.
veryGood! (225)
Related
- Meta donates $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund
- Headless and armless torso washed up on New York beach could be missing filmmaker: NYPD
- Horoscopes Today, November 21, 2023
- UnitedHealth uses faulty AI to deny elderly patients medically necessary coverage, lawsuit claims
- Connie Chiume, South African 'Black Panther' actress, dies at 72
- Hailey Bieber Recreates Gigi Hadid's Famous Pasta Recipe During Date Night With Justin Bieber
- Dancing With the Stars' Tribute to Taylor Swift Deserves Its Own Mirrorball Trophy
- Powerball winning numbers for Nov. 20 drawing: Jackpot rises over $300 million
- Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
- Italy tribunal sentences 207 'ndrangheta crime syndicate members to a combined 2,100 years in prison
Ranking
- Everything Simone Biles did at the Paris Olympics was amplified. She thrived in the spotlight
- Pakistan court rules the prison trial of former Prime Minister Imran Khan is illegal
- Super Bowl payback? Not for these Eagles, who prove resilience in win vs. Chiefs
- Mysterious respiratory dog illness detected in several states: What to know
- Eva Mendes Shares Message of Gratitude to Olympics for Keeping Her and Ryan Gosling's Kids Private
- A vehicle rams into a victory celebration for Liberia’s president-elect, killing 2 and injuring 18
- Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler is putting some of his guitars up for auction
- OpenAI’s unusual nonprofit structure led to dramatic ouster of sought-after CEO
Recommendation
'As foretold in the prophecy': Elon Musk and internet react as Tesla stock hits $420 all
Police identify 2 children struck and killed as they walked to elementary school in Maryland
Comparing Netflix's 'Squid Game The Challenge' reality show to the OG: Dye, but no dying
Tom Brady decries NFL's quality of play: 'A lot of mediocrity'
A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
Happy Thanksgiving. I regret to inform you that you're doing it wrong.
How to watch 'A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving' on streaming this year
Listeria outbreak linked to recalled peaches, plums and nectarines leaves 1 dead, 10 sick