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Overcast and Breezy Fake cops rob man
Police offer advice if you are pulled over by an unmarked car
Authorities are searching for four men who impersonated police officers and robbed a 52-year-old man in Valley Stream on Dec. 30.
According to police, the man was driving a 2003 Lexus west on Hillside Avenue near Clarendon Drive when he saw in his rear view mirror a silver, older model sedan with a blue and red police-style light flashing on its roof. The man turned north on Clarendon Drive and pulled his car over.
A black man, between 20 and 30 years old, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, approached the victim’s car with a flashlight and asked for the victim’s driver’s license. The subject told the victim he had unpaid parking tickets and to step out of the vehicle. The victim complied and as he stepped out of his car, he saw the second suspect — a black man, also between 20 and 30 years old, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt. The first subject handcuffed the victim and placed him in the rear seat of the silver sedan.
Also in the rear seat of the car was a third subject and a fourth in the front passenger seat — both described as a black men between 20 and 30 years old, wearing dark hooded sweatshirts. The first suspect entered the victim’s car while the second suspect drove the other car and followed.
As they were driving, the fourth suspect pointed a handgun at the victim and demanded money. The victim was driven to 130th Road and 243rd Street in Rosedale, where both cars pulled over. They took the victim out of the vehicle, removed the handcuffs and took the victim’s wallet and cell phone. All four subjects then fled the scene in their vehicle. No injuries were reported.
Det. Sgt. Anthony Repalone of the Nassau County Police Department said that they encourage anyone who feels anxiety or concern when being stopped by an unmarked police car to follow certain advice. “We recommend that you put your flashers on, pull into a well-lit, public place and use your cell phone to call 911,” Repalone said. “We will send a uniformed officer in a marked car there.”
He added that the county’s plain clothes officers understand that people may question if they are real officers, but noted that they all carry shields along with a photo ID, so people should ask to see both. “We understand the anxiety and apprehension,” Repalone said.
