Man Claims To Be A Cop, Says 'Just Let It Go' After A Car Accident
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A Chicago couple wants to know who is the man who hit their car and then claimed to be a cop?
Chicago police aren't so sure.
CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot has the story from Humbolt Park.
The couple asked for the man's license and insurance. Instead, he showed them what appeared to be a Chicago police badge.
"I told my wife 'hey, turn the camera on. I think this guy is gonna take off,'" said motorist James Porche.
The man hit the James' car at Humboldt Boulevard and North Avenue on Sunday. His wife, Danessa, shot cell phone video as the man crossed the intersection, then pulled over.
"He got out of the car very intimidating-looking," said Porche. "His first attempt at coming at us was like 'Everything's fine, nothing really happened.' He kept saying, 'Just let it go, just let it go, it's not that big of a deal.'"
James asked for the man's license and insurance.
"At that point, he flashed his badge. He said 'I'm a cop. You should really let this go,'" James said. "He was really slick how he did it. He showed it and said, 'I'm a cop. I'm late for work. Let it go.'"
Chicago police are doing two investigations: The department is looking at the traffic crash. Internal affairs is investigating a complaint of a possible police officer fleeing the scene of an accident.
Plastic plate covers, seen on the front and back plates of the man's car, are illegal. Police said full-time inspection units dedicated to checking the personal cars of city employees for compliance would have spotted this.
The license plate number doesn't exist in the Illinois Secretary of State's database. A variation of the plate does comes up, but it's for a different car.
"Who knows if he's pulling somebody over in a situation or trying to use that power, whether it was legitimate or not, and maybe do something wrong? Especially with those plates being as altered as they are, it makes it very fishy," Danessa said. "Either way, it was wrong and he needs to be held accountable."
Chicago police said it is taking this report very seriously and CBS 2 will follow up on the outcome.
Suzanne LeMignot's story started with a tip from a viewer. If you know anything CBS 2 should check out, send an email to CBSChicagotips@cbschicago.com.
