- It’s like that cartoon scene of a man in a bear costume running into a real bear.
Living in Florida really is like living in a Saturday morning cartoon. Recently, a classic slapstick gag played out on the state’s highways.
Namely, a man pretending to be a police officer accidentally pulled over a real cop.
Nadi Jabari has been arrested for illegal impersonation of a law enforcement officer. The 46-year-old allegedly activated a set of blue-and-red signal lights he had installed in his vehicle and attempted to pull over another car.
Little did he know that operating that car was an undercover sheriff’s deputy. He alerted some additional real cops to the scene, and Jabari was promptly arrested.
He’s now facing impersonation and firearm charges. His motives for posing as a cop aren’t clear, and the investigation is ongoing.
The Fake Cop Car
The incident took place on June 24 in Thonotosassa, less than 15 miles outside Tampa. On the day, a black Chevrolet Suburban was driving along US 301, according to a statement from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO).
Behind the Chevy’s wheel was Jabari. In the report, the HCSO states that he had installed a set of red and blue emergency lights in his car.
You know, the kind you see on actual police cars. With the lights on, Jabari’s vehicle looked like an undercover cop car.
At one point, Jabari activated his light setup while he was following another car. Based on his actions, it appeared that he attempted to pull the vehicle over.
He, however, was in for a big surprise.
‘Dangerous, Deliberate, and Illegal’
Jabari may have made his car look like an undercover police vehicle. But what he didn’t know was that the car he was trailing was the real deal.
As Jabari’s emergency lights flashed on, the real Sheriff’s deputy raised an eyebrow. He wasn’t aware that the sheriff’s office used any black Chevrolet Suburbans.
Something smelled fishy, so the undercover officer alerted his uniformed colleagues. Soon, two deputies arrived to perform a traffic stop.
Only, they pulled over Jabari.
Bodycam footage from the real deputies shows them approaching Jabari’s vehicle. “Hey, man. What are you doing today?” one of them asks Jabari.
The video shows Jabari wearing jeans, a dark gray graphic T-shirt, and a white baseball cap. As he steps out, the deputy reaches into the vehicle and picks something up.
It’s a set of still-activated, flashing emergency lights plugged into Jabari’s vehicle. Photos released later show that there was also a handgun in the car.
The man is promptly handcuffed and arrested. According to the HCSO, he has been charged with false personation, unlawful use of blue lights, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
The HCSO stated that an investigation into the case is ongoing and more details may emerge later. At the time of writing, it’s unknown why Jabari was impersonating a cop and whether he had attempted to pull over any other cars.
“When someone falsely presents themselves as law enforcement, they threaten the trust that exists between deputies and the community we serve. This individual’s actions were dangerous, deliberate, and illegal,” Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Cronister said in the statement.
An Ongoing Tradition
But perhaps the most bizarre element of this story is that this isn’t the first time the HCSO has had to deal with a fake cop. An identical incident happened in 2019.
At that time, Barry Hastings Jr. was driving around in a black Crown Victoria. He, too, had installed emergency lights in his car, although those were white and orange instead of the usual blue and red cop colors.
Nonetheless, Hastings pulled behind another vehicle and activated his lights, as if he were a cop. However, just as with Jabari, his victim turned out to be an actual undercover deputy.
The deputy pulled over to the shoulder, and Hastings stepped out of the car. But when asked for his credentials, he was unable to show a badge or any other proof of his authority, despite his insistence that he was an officer.
With that, the deputy informed Hastings that he was going to call 911. Hastings attempted to flee, but real sheriff’s deputies stopped and arrested him.
In addition to the lights, Hastings’ vehicle was equipped with a functioning siren box and a CB radio. We couldn’t find out what he had planned to do, but we’re glad he was arrested before he could do it.
For another weirdly cartoony Florida man story, read our article about how Loony Toon went to jail for 20 years following a violent police chase. Yes, that really is the guy’s name.