Police: Two Surprisingly Polite Fake Cops Arrested and Robbed a Dallas Teen Last Night
Police aren't exactly clear why a South Dallas 15-year-old without a license happened to be driving through Far North Dallas a half hour before midnight Thursday. Also not clear is how someone barely old enough to sack groceries part time came to be in possession of $1,000 in cash.
But none of that's really germane to the story. The teen, whose name isn't being released because he's a juvenile, told police he was traveling down Preston Road when, as he reached the intersection with Spring Valley, he saw flashing red-and-blue lights in his rear-view mirror. He dutifully pulled over.
The boy probably should have realized what was up when he noticed that neither of the men who approached his driver's side window had badges, just navy blue outfits that vaguely resembled police uniforms, but he didn't. Give the kid a break. Getting pulled over is nerve-wracking experience; doubly so when you're an underage novice driving without a license.
In any case, he handed over his ID card and stepped out of the car as directed, then put his hands behind his back when they told him he was under arrest. It was only after the handcuffs were on and the men were riffling through his pockets for his wallet and $1,000 that boy concluded that men weren't actually cops.
The fake officers at least had the decency to release the teen from custody without so much as a citation. "They handcuffed him and then they unhandcuffed him when they were done," Dallas police spokesman Sherri Jeffrey says. Then they handed back his ID and drove away.