Greater Sudbury Police are investigating after a woman reported a strange incident on March 9 involving a man who seemed to be impersonating a police officer.
GSPS said they were contacted about the incident on March 10. The caller said she had been driving on MR 35 at around 8:15 p.m. on March 9. The woman said she was northbound near Clarabelle Road when she passed a black Dodge Charger driving in the slow lane.
As she passed the vehicle, it activated red and blue lights that were located under or in the grill of the vehicle.
Possibly thinking it was an unmarked police cruiser, the woman pulled over and a man dressed in black approached her window and asked for her driver’s licence, ownership and insurance.
“The man also asked her if she was single, where she was going that evening and what she was doing,” police said in a news release. “The woman asked if she was getting a ticket, to which the man said no.”
As the woman drove away, she saw the charger pull a U-turn and head southbound on MR 35 while she continued north.
She described the man as being white, standing approximately 5-11 and in his late 30 or early 40s. She noted he had dark eyes and a deep voice. The man was wearing a black toque with a black mask, she said, as well as a black jacket and black pants.
“The man did not verbally identify himself as a police officer and did not indicate a reason for the traffic stop,” GSPS said.
The investigation into this incident is ongoing, police said, and anyone with information related to this incident, the vehicle described, the driver of the vehicle or a similar incident is asked to contact police at 705-675-9171, or Crime Stoppers by phone at 705-222-TIPS or online at SudburyCrimeStoppers.com.
“We also encourage anyone who has a vehicle equipped with a dash camera and who would have been traveling on MR 35 between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. on March 9 to please check your footage and contact police if video of this incident was captured on your device.”
GSPS also wants the public to understand that its officers will have easily identifiable Greater Sudbury Police Service (GSPS) attire. Officers in uniform will have, for example, visible shoulder flashes and use-of-force equipment, while a plainclothes officer (not in GSPS uniform) will have a badge on their waist or around their neck.
“We remind community members that if you are ever concerned or unsure, you have the right to ask for police identification.”
