TAMPA, FLA. (WSVN) - A Florida man was arrested and charged with impersonating an officer after, authorities said, he modified his vehicle to include sirens so he could weave and maneuver through traffic.
Sirens and emergency lights coming from a red pickup truck on I-75 outside Tampa puzzled drivers on the Florida interstate.
“I was a passenger, and my father was driving the vehicle. We heard a police siren coming from behind us and as we looked around, we saw a red Dodge Ram pass us on the right-hand side with amber and white lights,” said witness Hunter Thomas.
The truck was driven by 50-year-old Anthony Tripp from Tampa, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
According to an FHP report, on Sunday, Tripp was speeding and using his lights and sirens to weave through traffic, a reckless stunt that could’ve endangered civilians.
“He sped around us and approached the vehicles in front of us and in front of him, and they all slammed on their brakes, nearly causing several accidents because they’re all looking around, wondering where the police sirens were coming from,” said Thomas.
Troopers pulled him over as he was driving southbound.
While searching the truck, a trooper noticed a black siren box with different switches.
In the report, the trooper said, “Two of them were identical to the sirens used in my own marked patrol vehicle.”
Court records indicate this is not Tripp’s first run in with the law as he is also a convicted sexual predator in two counties.
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