Police Impersonator and Attempted Carjacker Arrested in Separate Incidents
An 18-year-old man from Macomb Township, Michigan, was arrested for impersonating a police officer and attempting to make a traffic stop.[0] The incident occurred on April 3rd in Rochester Hills, when Christian Katan Mansoor drove a silver BMW with flashing red and blue lights and positioned his car behind an off-duty Waterford Township police officer's vehicle.[1] The officer followed him to confront him, and Mansoor identified himself as a Detroit police officer when she asked for identification.[2] However, when asked to show his ID, Mansoor said he needed to retrieve it from his vehicle and then drove away.[3] The off-duty officer followed him to a trailer park in Shelby Township but lost sight of his car.[2]
Prosecutors say that Mansoor was charged with a misdemeanor of impersonating a public officer and was arraigned in 52-3 District Court in Rochester Hills.[4] He was released on a $5,000 personal bond and is scheduled to appear in court on May 3rd.[4]
Sheriff Michael Bouchard of Oakland County stated that individuals who pose as police officers present a threat to the public and undermine legitimate law enforcement.[1] He urged anyone who had a similar incident involving the described automobile or pictured individual to contact authorities.[5]
In a separate incident on the same day, Mark Tannen, a 22-year-old man from Newark, Delaware, was arrested for attempting to carjack an off-duty police officer in an unmarked police vehicle.[6] Minutes after the first attempted carjacking, Tannen allegedly opened the door of an unmarked police car and tried to forcibly remove the off-duty officer from the vehicle.[7] The officer identified himself as law enforcement, and Tannen fled on foot. The police chased after him, and with the help of other officers, Tannen was apprehended without incident. Tannen has been charged with two counts of second-degree attempted robbery and is being held at Howard R. Young Correctional Center on $5,000 bail.[8]
These incidents occurred amidst a rise in carjackings and motor vehicle thefts in several cities across the US. Based on data from seven cities, carjackings increased by 24% from 2020 to 2022, while motor vehicle thefts rose 54% during that time.[9] No injuries were reported in either attempted carjacking, and no weapons were used.[10]
0. “Teen BMW Driver Pretending To Be A Cop Pulled Over A Real Off-Duty Police Officer” CarScoops, 6 Apr. 2023, https://www.carscoops.com/2023/04/18-year-old-arrested-after-impersonating-cop-and-pulling-over-off-duty-officer/
1. “Man posing as cop arrested after trying to pull over off-duty police officer” C&G Newspapers, 6 Apr. 2023, https://www.candgnews.com/news/man-posing-as-cop-arrested-after-trying-to-pull-over-offduty-police-officer-2081
2. “Man pretending to be an officer arrested after trying to pull over real cop” fox23maine.com, 6 Apr. 2023, https://fox23maine.com/news/nation-world/man-pretending-to-be-an-officer-arrested-after-trying-to-pull-over-real-cop-oakland-county-michigan-waterford-township-police
3. “Sheriff: Man pretending to be an officer arrested after trying to pull over real cop” KOKH FOX25, 6 Apr. 2023, https://okcfox.com/news/offbeat/christian-katan-mansoor-macomb-township-michigan-pretending-to-be-officer-real-cop-rochester-hills-bmw-bond-12th-precinct-shelby-twp-impersonating-detroit-traffic-stop-oakland-county
4. “Macomb Township man arrested after impersonating cop, attempting to pull over real police officer” CBS News, 5 Apr. 2023, https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/news/macomb-township-man-impersonates-cop-arrested-after-pulling-over-real-officer
5. “Fake cop busted trying to pull over officer in Oakland County” Detroit News, 6 Apr. 2023, https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/oakland-county/2023/04/05/fake-cop-busted-trying-to-pull-over-officer-in-oakland-county/70086948007/
6. “Delaware man attempts to carjack an off-duty cop in unmarked vehicle” New York Post , 6 Apr. 2023, https://nypost.com/2023/04/05/delaware-man-attempts-to-carjack-cop-in-unmarked-vehicle/
7. “Delaware man attempts to carjack off-duty law enforcement officer in unmarked vehicle: police” Fox News, 5 Apr. 2023, https://www.foxnews.com/us/delaware-man-attempts-carjack-off-duty-law-enforcement-officer-unmarked-vehicle-police
8. “Delaware carjacker picks wrong vehicle – an unmarked police car with off-duty officer inside” cleveland.com, 6 Apr. 2023, https://www.cleveland.com/nation/2023/04/delaware-carjacker-picks-wrong-vehicle-an-unmarked-police-car-with-off-duty-officer-inside.html
9. “Man charged with trying to carjack off-duty Newark officer in an unmarked police car” Yahoo! Voices, 5 Apr. 2023, https://www.yahoo.com/news/man-charged-trying-carjack-off-203235777.html
10. “Newark man charged with trying to carjack off-duty officer” 1150AM/101.7FM WDEL, 5 Apr. 2023, https://www.wdel.com/news/newark-man-charged-with-trying-to-carjack-off-duty-officer/article_194cf76e-d3ee-11ed-9bdf-7b096de2fe58.html
