Tulsa Police: Phony Officer Pulls Over Arizona Man On I-244, Pistol Whips Him

A Tulsa man is robbed at gunpoint after being pulled over by a phony police officer.

Tulsa detectives investigate more than 1,500 robberies a year, but this kind of case is the most rare.

Peter Meeker said he was traveling down Interstate 244 around 1 a.m. when he was pulled over.

Since he's new to Tulsa, he thought it was a real officer. But by the time he realized it wasn't, he was face to face with a man carrying a gun.

It's not the warm welcome to Oklahoma he had in mind.

"I look down and I've got blood all over my hands, and he's speeding off," Meeker said.

The Arizona native said he was leaving the downtown area when he pulled over for what he thought was an undercover officer flashing his lights.

"[He] comes up and asks me, ‘Do you know how fast you were going?' I said, ‘about 70.' He said, ‘No, it was about 75.'"

Meeker says the man asked for his license and registration, told him to get out of the car and even asked to search his vehicle.

"He comes back out and says I have a warrant, and right then and there I knew," Meeker said. "I say, ‘I want to see some identification.' And he says, ‘Turn around.'"

Meeker says in addition to being pistol-whipped, the man also stole $70 from his wallet.

What took the biggest hit though was his trust, because he says the fake officer looked the part.

Gabriela Fuson works at the Oklahoma Police Supply in Tulsa. They sell everything law enforcement related - from badges to boots, coats, patches and holsters.

"We just take it extremely seriously," she said. "In order to purchase anything that identifies anyone as a police officer… they must be CLEET certified or have their credentials."

Non-law enforcement are allowed to by clothing, but Fuson says occasionally, especially around Halloween, they see people trying to buy items strictly for law enforcement impersonation.

"We start asking for I.D., and they kinda shrink up and back off," Fuson said.

Police say there are a few tips you can follow to avoid becoming a victim.

1. When you look in your rearview mirror, check the color of the lights. By law police cruisers have to have red and blue lights.
2. Stay in your car with the doors locked and only crack your window enough to hand out your license and insurance cards.
3. And since anyone can get a badge, ask for a commission card.

Police also say that you can ask for a supervisor to come out, or even call 911 to confirm that there is a real officer trying to pull you over.