Tulsa Man Arrested For Impersonating An Officer Says He Did It To Save Lives

A Tulsa man arrested for impersonating a police officer told News On 6 he did what he did in order to save lives. 

Aaron Forbis said he didn't mean any harm but when all his complaints about crime in the neighborhood were ignored, he decided to take the law into his own hands.

Tulsa Man Arrested On Complaint Of Impersonating Law Officer 

"There's not a lot of people that will do what I did to make a difference,” Forbis said. “That's all I'm trying to do.

He said he was keeping watch in his driveway Sunday night when a white car came flying by.

"I kind of took the law into my own hands and followed the car. Just tried to slow him down,” Forbis said. "I turned a light bar on just to inform the public I was also at a high rate of speed."

The car slowed down, but Forbis said as he got closer, he realized it was a Tulsa Police officer, so he turned his lights off and pulled into a parking lot.             

Tulsa Police said the officer then arrested Forbis for impersonating a police officer and DUI. Forbis admits what he did was wrong, but he's adamant that he was only trying to help.

"It probably wasn't legal what I did. But I felt like it was necessary to get my point across."

Forbis said he's noticed an uptick in crime recently and said people speed in his neighborhood all the time. He said with a lot of children and a large homeless population in his area, he's worried someone will get hurt.

"It's just a matter of time before something bad happens,” he said. “Somebody needs to step out and do it. Basically, I'm trying to get my side of the story out before my reputation is ruined and my business is ruined."

As for that DUI, Forbis says he wasn't drunk. TPD wants to remind people, if you're pulled over by an unmarked vehicle, the officer should always be in a Tulsa Police uniform.            

If the person isn't in uniform, call 911 and pull into a well-lit area.