AndrewBlakeChantilly, VA – Police arrived at the scene of a car crash on Wednesday to find one of the drivers had already been put in handcuffs.
The other driver, Arta Javanbakhtamarlouei, told police he felt threatened by man, so he used the authority he claimed he had after taking an eight-hour criminal justice course to put the other driver under arrest, WUSA reported.
The accident occurred just before 5:45 p.m. on May 9th near the intersection of Jackson Memorial Highway and Elmwood Street in Chantilly.
Javanbakhtamarlouei’s claims of law enforcement authority didn’t go over well when actual police officers arrived.
Fairfax police arrested Javanbakhtamarlouei and charged him with impersonating a law enforcement officer, WUSA reported.
Javanbakhtamarlouei, 33, had acquired and carried many of the tools of the police trade at the time of his arrest. He was wearing a duty belt that had pouches, pepper spray, and a holstered firearm replica that looked genuine.
Police said that the firearm was actually a BB gun, and the police impersonator told them he had purchased all of his supplies online, according to WUSA.
Officers found that Javanbakhtamarlouei was carrying two badges at the time of his arrest.
One was a concealed weapon permit badge that was available online for $20, and doesn’t actually grant authority to carry a concealed weapon. The second badge was for a private investigator, and police said they believed he got it from a previous job.
Javanbakhtamarlouei had not worked a legitimate job in four years, WUSA reported.
After the incident, Fairfax PD offered tips to the community on how to verify a legitimate officer.
WUSA reported that if someone isn’t sure that the officer they are engaged with is legitimate, the person should call 911.
A dispatchers can confirm whether the officer on the scene is legitimate over the phone.