By Astrid Galvan
Albuquerque Journal
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A firefighter pretending to be a police officer made quite a mistake Wednesday when he allegedly pulled over an undercover Albuquerque police detective.
Albuquerque police arrested Tyree Appleberry, 42, early Wednesday morning after he pulled over a detective who was working a bait car operation on a residential street near Broadway and Gibson SE, according to a police report.
Police said Appleberry, of Albuquerque, pulled over the undercover detective in his white Chevy Tahoe, which had a red light mounted on the dashboard and flashing white strobe lights mounted on the headlights.
The APD detective pulled over, and Appleberry started issuing verbal commands, police said. The detective thought the stop was suspicious and asked Appleberry for his identification, the report states. When the detective identified himself as a member of APD, Appleberry tried to flee the scene, police said.
Police soon apprehended him.
Police said Appleberry is a firefighter with the Division of Forestry and Wildland Fire Management, a component of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Appleberry also had a warrant out for his arrest and was driving on a suspended license, police said.
According to court records, Appleberry’s license was suspended in 2004, when he was pulled over for careless driving in Los Lunas. This March, a Bernalillo County sheriff’s deputy spotted him speeding and crossing multiple lanes of traffic on Coors and Sevilla NW while there was heavy traffic, according to the citation.
He was charged with driving with a suspended license and careless driving and had a warrant for failing to appear in court. Appleberry has also been charged with possession of a firearm by a felon, though the case was dropped.
A call to the BIA to confirm Appleberry’s employment was not returned.
Copyright 2011 Albuquerque Journal