Alleged police impersonator busted pulling over actual cop

Prince George's County Police

Anthony Kenneth Mastrogiovanni

When impersonating a police officer, beware of pulling over an actual police officer.

The failure to follow that guidance has led to the capture of one alleged phony cop in Prince George’s County.

Anthony Kenneth Mastrogiovanni was driving his white pickup truck on southbound Route 301 in Upper Marlboro, Md., earlier this week when he attempted to perform a traffic stop on a Capitol Heights police officer who was driving a personal vehicle.

Mastrogiovanni told the officer he was a military police officer from Louisiana and advised the officer that he was speeding, police said. The officer in turn told Mastrogiovanni he was out of his jurisdiction and having blue and red emergency equipment in his truck was against the law in Maryland, police said.

For more, visit NBCWashington.com

The suspect left the area, and the officer called Prince George’s County police and followed the suspect until other officers arrived.

Mastrogiovanni, 29, was charged with impersonating a police officer and was released on personal recognizance.

More content from msnbc.com and NBC News:

Follow US News on msnbc.com on Twitter and Facebook

Discuss this post

Jump to discussion page: 1 ... 6 7 8 9 10

Just another one for the darwin awards!

    Reply#187 - Fri Jun 22, 2012 3:09 PM EDT

    This is no more then the fruit of the liberal indoctrination of our public schools that began in earnest in the 60's. Good time rock and roll drug and free sex era of disrespect for all forms of authority and the rule of law perpetrated by the government owned and controled teachers union with the agenda of socializing America. Enjoy it, it is only going to get worse.

      Reply#188 - Fri Jun 22, 2012 3:10 PM EDT

      Sorry about that, for some reason this posted to the wrong article, this was supposed to go on the one about the harrassed school bus monitored story.

        #188.1 - Fri Jun 22, 2012 3:15 PM EDT
        Reply

        This guy looks like he's a couple of sandwiches short of a picnic, anyway. Just the kind of folks police academies look for.

        • 1 vote
        Reply#189 - Fri Jun 22, 2012 3:10 PM EDT

        Wow, I just love how all of these people jump into the discussion and ramble on about things they know nothing about. Much like saying that this guy is a rapist or a murderer. You guys must have gotten way more out of the article than I did. Guess I don't really know how to read between the lines as well as some of you. Just because he was released ROR, doesn't mean he's not still in trouble with the law. He did break a law, but he didn't rape or kill anyone. He should only be punished for the crimes he did commit.

          Reply#190 - Fri Jun 22, 2012 3:15 PM EDT

          I'm glad he was busted, but it beckons the idea for me that maybe this officer (male or female) might have been speeding? I'm certainly not condonin this behavior but I cannot tell you how many times in traffic I wish a cop would see these idiots driving all around us, cutting people off, driving radically, speeding profainly, or just using their auto as a power trip. I mean cops too, taking advantage of their postition to do so while on duty or off, I mean how many times have you seen an officer turn on the lights just to go thru a red light or speeding without his light on,(not going to a call) just to meet his buds at the donut shop for the last glazed one left? The rules have exceptions and I'm glad there are but the rules have to apply to us all or there worthless. I want to say for the record if you continue to drive away from an officer marked or not they can and will get really pissed off. yes?

            Reply#191 - Fri Jun 22, 2012 3:19 PM EDT

            People, you don't understand, he had police lights on his personal vehicle. MP's don't patrol in personal vehicle and they don't have flashing lights on their personal vehicles. The military spends millions of dollars to
            outfit the Military MP with cruisers and Humvees with police light, the works. You will never see an MP pull you or anyone else over while out of uniform. If the person he pulled over was your sister, mother or wife, all of you people would lose your mind and want his head on a stick.

            • 1 vote
            Reply#192 - Fri Jun 22, 2012 3:22 PM EDT

            To all military police personel:

            Your personel jurisdiction it to military personel ONLY and ONLY ON MILITARY BASES. At no time, are you to perform the function of arrest or stops outside your DESIGNATED AREA OF INFLUENCE.

            That this guy even attempted to use his Military enforcement act, either shows the mother @!$%#er wasn't in the military, or that he did not receive PROPER TRAINING from his superiors and/or Advanced Individual Training (AIT) program.

            Clearly the guy was a moron, or he was attempting to gain additional currency through allowing those that are pulled over to pay him off. I think the actual police should have began and immediate investigation, and should not have released him on his own reckognisance. That also was poor judgement on the CIVILIAN police side. A proper investigation, asking for anyone that had been pulled over BY a military individual, to come forward.

            So yah, this story is not over.

            • 1 vote
            Reply#193 - Fri Jun 22, 2012 3:34 PM EDT

            The cop should have played along to see what the guy wanted i bet it was cash to make the fake ticket go away lol

            • 1 vote
            Reply#194 - Fri Jun 22, 2012 3:35 PM EDT

            The irony of it is really laughable. Plus, you really can't fix stupid, can you?

              Reply#195 - Fri Jun 22, 2012 3:38 PM EDT

              Btw, it doesn't open the officer up to the charge of speeding in any way shape or form. That would require the fake cop to have had some type of speed measurement device. That devices calibration certificate would then be required. If there is no speed measurement device then the fake cop would have had to supply his stop watch calibration for his speedometer on his vehicle. But then all of this is a mute point because he was what???....FAKE

                Reply#196 - Fri Jun 22, 2012 3:40 PM EDT

                I wish I could have seen the look on this guy's face before he ran away. Priceless.

                  Reply#197 - Fri Jun 22, 2012 3:48 PM EDT

                  This clown gets released on Personal Recognizance? You have got to be kidding me he must be a WM between the age of 18 -35 and therefore not considered a menace to society. Give me a break.

                  • 1 vote
                  Reply#198 - Fri Jun 22, 2012 3:52 PM EDT

                  He was actually lucky he pulled over a real officer. He could have pulled over a drug dealer or a wanted felon and received a few extra holes in his body for his actions. If it happens to real officers, and it does, it could have certainly happened to him. I hope someone shares that with him before he is sent on his way.

                    Reply#199 - Fri Jun 22, 2012 3:53 PM EDT

                    strange hobby?

                      Reply#200 - Fri Jun 22, 2012 3:56 PM EDT

                      Can you say "poetic justice", boys and girls?

                        Reply#201 - Fri Jun 22, 2012 3:57 PM EDT

                        I wonder if he is suffering from a pyshcological disorder that drives him to carry out these fantasies of impersonating public safety officials.. maybe he's an academy drop-out that can't let go. Whatever the case, I'm just glad he attempted to pull over the "wrong person", instead of someone unsuspecting and uneducated enough to know better. It's a good thing he's not impersonating EMS. There's a fine line between good samaratin and impersonating professional health care providers. Pretty sure both are misd. offenses.

                          Reply#202 - Fri Jun 22, 2012 4:05 PM EDT

                          and if you strike us, that's a felony :) afterall, we're there to help you!

                            Reply#203 - Fri Jun 22, 2012 4:06 PM EDT

                            Way to go Anthony.

                              Reply#204 - Fri Jun 22, 2012 4:08 PM EDT

                              Now if Mitt Romney actually got caught like this back in his younger days when he was doing it, we would have a much clearer picture of the real man running for President. When he got to Stanford he showed the roomies his full blown Michigan State Police uniform with a photo of him standing next to a patrol car. He made the statement to them that he actually used to put the duds on and pull people over back in Michigan. Being the very intelligent young men that they were, going to Stanford, they steered clear of this creepy wacko from then on. Daddy was the governor. He could get the uniform and pretty much guarantee he wouldn't get burned if he was caught. He's still creepy.

                                Reply#205 - Fri Jun 22, 2012 4:14 PM EDT

                                Mike you hit the nail on the head...the perp was a Rethuglican. Same thing they do is impersonate and try to show off their pseudo power and lack of for-thought and then they get busted. Too much going on here to be a coincidence.

                                  #205.1 - Fri Jun 22, 2012 4:32 PM EDT
                                  Reply

                                  Which is why you don't have to pull over right away from a unmarked car..... You may drive safely to the nearest safe location prior to stopping.

                                  • 1 vote
                                  Reply#206 - Fri Jun 22, 2012 4:20 PM EDT

                                  sounds like the fake cop was more polite and professional than a real cop would've been

                                  that's probably what gave him away

                                    Reply#207 - Fri Jun 22, 2012 4:23 PM EDT

                                    The cop that let him go, that cop, should be drop kicked in his ass. He must understand that he has let go a potentially dangers man (a possible 2012 Ted Bundy)

                                      Reply#208 - Fri Jun 22, 2012 4:29 PM EDT

                                      was the cop speeding? it is not illegal to pull over a cop who is breaking the law. if so then he had every right to pull the cop over. maybe we sould check out the guys story and see if the cop was speeding before making fun of him for pulling over a "off duty" cop.

                                        Reply#209 - Fri Jun 22, 2012 4:31 PM EDT

                                        Love this story - this is the kind of news I really want to read every single day.....another skumbag caught. But he should have at least had to serve a minimum of 30 days in jail. He was caught red-handed in the cookie jar, yet he will get off serving no jail time when he stands before the judge. However, it really makes you wonder what his real intention was, as it surely was not to write the real police officer a ticket.....

                                        • 1 vote
                                        Reply#210 - Fri Jun 22, 2012 4:38 PM EDT

                                        Where in the article does it say that the police officer was a female ????

                                          Reply#211 - Fri Jun 22, 2012 4:40 PM EDT
                                          Jump to discussion page: 1 ... 6 7 8 9 10
                                          You're in Easy Mode. If you prefer, you can use XHTML Mode instead.
                                          As a new user, you may notice a few temporary content restrictions. Click here for more info.