Officials claim that a man from Maryland was detained and charged after police allegedly spotted him impersonating a police officer at a mall.
According to the Hyattsville Police Department, Robert Muschette Jr., 53, was apprehended on Thursday at the Mall at Prince George’s parking lot.
Officers saw a dark green Ford Explorer traveling in the mall’s parking lot at around 11:25 p.m. with its red and blue emergency lights on.
Muschette Jr. initially pretended to work for “D.C. police” when cops first approached him, but he later acknowledged he was a special police officer with a security firm.
Muschette Jr. worked for a security firm, but the investigators found that he was only permitted to have yellow lights on his car. His car was reportedly found to include a police-style badge, a loaded handgun, a ballistic vest, ammunition, handcuffs, and clothing with the word “police” on it.
According to the police, he is not allowed to own firearms under Maryland law due to his prior misdemeanor convictions.
Muschette Jr. is accused of several offenses, including pretending to be a police officer and keeping a loaded weapon in a moving vehicle.
Muschette Jr. may have interacted with people while posing as a police officer, according to the police, who expressed their worry.