Retired Philly Cop Charged With Gunpoint Confrontation in Upper Darby
By Brad Segall
UPPER DARBY, Pa. (CBS) -- A retired Philadelphia police officer is behind bars in Delaware County, facing a number of charges for apparently trying to take the law into his own hands.
Upper Darby police say Roscoe Campbell pulled a gun on a motorist in the parking lot of a Wawa on State Road early Saturday morning.
Police say the 79-year-old man flashed a badge and demanded a $300 "fine" from the driver who was illegally parked in a handicapped spot, threatening to have the car towed.
The victim said he didn't have the money so, according to investigators, Campbell took the man's driver's license and a credit card.
Police say when the man fled, the victim got a license plate number.
Upper Darby police superintendent Michael Chitwood says the vehicle was tracked to a Philadelphia address where Campbell lives.
"There was a brief struggle, Campbell is taken out. On the seat next to him is a loaded .32-calibre revolver and a police ID and badge," he tells KYW Newsradio.
Chitwood says Campbell has been retired for almost thirty years. The charges include robbery, assault, carrying a loaded weapon, and impersonating a police officer.
Chitwood believes there may be "some type of mental health issue we're dealing with here."