A 29-year-old Prince George man is facing multiple charges after he was caught impersonating a police officer.
At 10:20 p.m. on Friday (March 19), RCMP were informed by a member of the public that they were just approached by a man who was pretending to be a police officer.
The caller stated they first saw a vehicle at a gas station on Fifth Avenue and Tabor Boulevard.
The vehicle followed the driver onto Fifth Avenue, where it then activated what appeared to be blue-and-red flashing police lights and passed the caller’s vehicle.
They continued onto North Nechako Boulevard and saw the vehicle pulled over on the side of the road. The vehicle then followed the caller’s vehicle until the end of North Nechako Road.
The caller then told police they were at a bonfire when a man, who identified himself as “Officer Maguire,” came to speak with them. The witness asked the man for his badge number and the man gave a number but became belligerent with the group and began swearing.
The witnesses state the suspect then left the area, activating what appeared to be police lights that flashed red and blue as he was driving away.
Frontline members conducted patrols in the area and found the man stopped in the parking lot of a trailer park on North Nechako Road. Police approached the vehicle and began speaking with the male driver, whom they identified as 29-year-old Patrick Maguire.
Police arrested Maguire for impersonating a police officer and brought him to the detachment where he remained until he could attend a bail hearing.
Mounties say Maguire received a Notice and Order that compels him to remove the illegal modifications from his vehicle and have the vehicle inspected by a licensed inspection agency before driving again.
The B.C. Prosecution Service approved two counts of impersonating a police officer and one count of failing to comply with a probation order.
Police say Maguire is back in the community until his next court appearance.
If you have any information about this or any other criminal offence, please contact the Prince George RCMP at 250-561-3300, anonymously contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or go online to www.pgcrimestoppers.bc.ca.
