22-year-old posing as a cop handcuffs man in Circle K ‘arrest,’ Arizona officials say

A 22-year-old man posing as an officer handcuffed another man at a Circle K and unlawfully searched him, authorities in Arizona said.

The man was seen on video putting another person “under arrest” on Aug. 19 at a Circle K in Youngtown, deputies said in a probable cause statement.

He approached the man while wearing a tactical vest and said he was an officer with the state of Arizona, deputies said.

Then he put metal handcuffs on the man and walked him to his vehicle and searched him, deputies said.

After a security company alerted Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office deputies of the suspicious person, the man told the responding investigators he believed he could detain someone as a bail bond recovery agent, authorities said.

But investigators said he could not lawfully detain another person because he was not certified by any Arizona law enforcement agency.

The man was arrested and faces charges of impersonating a peace officer and unlawful detainment.

Youngtown is about 20 miles northwest of Phoenix.

This story was originally published August 24, 2022 at 4:01 PM with the headline "22-year-old posing as a cop handcuffs man in Circle K ‘arrest,’ Arizona officials say."

Helena Wegner

McClatchy DC

Helena Wegner is a McClatchy National Real-Time Reporter covering the state of Washington and the western region. She’s a journalism graduate from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. She’s based in Phoenix.