Sacramento Community Service Officer Accused Of Flashing Badge, Pulling Motorists Over
WEST SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — A man accused of pretending to be a cop is behind bars, because his victims wouldn't let him get away.
His victims say the 20-year-old would flash a police badge and try to pull them over.
Sacramento Police identified the suspect as Ilaya Prozorov, who has been employed as a civilian community service officer for just over a month. Prozorov graduated from the department's basic recruit academy in December.
According to a job description from Sacramento Police, community service officers are non-sworn civilian positions without the powers to arrest. They handle lower priority calls.
One of the victims says he recorded a confrontation with Prozorov and got his license plate.
For more than six minutes, Zabi Ahmadzi repeatedly asks the man who says he's a cop to show him his badge.
ZABI: What are you, a cop?
MAN: I'm not talking to you anymore.
ZABI: Can I see the badge?
MAN: I'm not showing you anything.
But Zabi says he never does.
RAW VIDEO: Watch Ahmadzi confront the alleged police impersonator
"He wasn't bringing out the badge again, and that's when I realized he wasn't a cop," he said.
Zabi says he first spotted Prozorov at a red light in West Sacramento on Tuesday afternoon. What followed next is something Zabi says he still doesn't understand.
"He started to follow me, because everywhere that I would turn he would turn," he said.
According to Zabi, the man flashed a badge twice, and followed him to his parents' home. That's when Zabi took out his cellphone and started recording.
ZABI: OK, doing what?
MAN: Patrol
ZABI: As a cop?
MAN: Yes
ZABI: What's your badge number
MAN: I'll give it to you 22"))
But he never does give a badge number. He does apologize, then explains he tried to pull over Zabi for running a red light, because his parents died in a red-light crash.
ZABI: You can't be doing that
MAN: I'm sorry
ZABI: You're sorry?
But about two hours later, Eleanor Martinez claims the same guy tried to pull her over.
"He had a badge waving out telling me to pull over," she said.
Instead, she wrote down his license plate number and called the real cops.
Hours later, police tracked down the suspect. CBS13 cameras happened to stumble on police as they made the arrest in West Sacramento.
"Oh my God like that quick?" Zabi said. "You know good job West Sac PD."
Prozorov has been placed on paid administrative leave after his arrest.