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Joshua Brake, 26, has been charged with impersonating police to commit a robbery (Baltimore Police / June 29, 2012) |
A 26-year-old Brooklyn man has been arrested with impersonating a police officer in a robbery of a man in Fells Point earlier this month, according to police records.
Police say Joshua Brake, of the 200 block of W. Meadow Rd., was pulled over wearing a badge and carrying handcuffs and a can of mace, and had his cell phone hooked up to his car speakers with a streaming feed of the city police scanner.
Officers spotted Brake based on information about the suspect that was told to officers at their daily roll call about the June 16 robbery.
The robbery was reported at about 1 a.m., when a man walking in the 1700 block of Bank St. said he was stopped by a man driving a green SUV who said, "Stop, I'm a police officer." The supect told the victim to put his hands up, and rifled through his pockets, taking $900 from the man's wallet, according to police.
The suspect got back into his vehicle and fled eastbound on Bank Street. Citiwatch surveillance cameras had captured the vehicle, and at roll call officers were told to be on the lookout for a green SUV with Ravens stickets on the back window, according to police records.
Officers Christopher Heath and Jay Rose were on patrol in the 400 block of S. Broadway on June 26 and saw a vehicle matching that description turn onto the 1800 block of Bank Street, police said. Brake was pulled over wearing a backwards hat with the word "ENFORCEMENT" on it, as well as a badge around his neck and a black shirt that also said "ENFORCEMENT." On his belt, he had a pocket knife, a can of Mace, and a collapsable baton, and he was wearing a bulletproof vest, records show.
He also had a cell phone hooked up to a speaker system with the police scanner streaming. Brake was transported to the Southeastern District, where police later determined he was responsible for the robbery.
There have been several people arrested in similar incidents, including home invasions, and many of them have targeted Hispanic residents. Police say anyone who is concerned that they have been stopped by a police impersonator should call 911.
