Man Charged With Impersonating Police With iPhone App Tells Story
BETHEL PARK (KDKA) -- A man from Bethel Park talked with KDKA about the charge he faces of using an iPhone app to impersonate a police officer.
"I admit, I did hold it up. It wasn't to cause any problems," said Adam Phillips of Bethel Park in an interview with KDKA's David Highfield.
Police say this started as a road rage type of incident at the intersection of Routes 51 and 88. Phillips says he honked at the car in front of him because he thought they had a green light. That's when police say the other driver pointed to the red light, but Phillips claims the driver used an obscene gesture to do it.
Once through the light, Phillips also claims they threw a McDonald's bag at his car. He admits that soon after, he used an iPhone app that mimics police flashing lights, but says he held it up to the window for only a few seconds.
David Highfield asked, "When you put the phone up there on the dashboard, what was your intention? Did you want them to think you were a police officer, so they'd pull over?"
Phillips replied, "That wasn't really an exact intention. It was just maybe like a scare tactic."
Highfield asked, "But you wanted to talk to these guys?"
Phillips said, "Yeah. I wanted to. They threw something at my car, so I mean I didn't have a chance to see if there was damage to my vehicle or anything, and they weren't pulling over. So I held it up."
Police say he reportedly also flashed his headlights and honked his horn, until the driver ahead of him pulled into the Stoner Centre in Castle Shannon.
"I wasn't overly mad. I was just a little bit upset," said Phillips. He says he asked the men in the other car why they threw something at his car, but he says that escalated into a pushing match in which he had a punch thrown at him.
Afterward, both Phillips and the other driver called police. Police confiscated his iPhone.
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