By Julie Knipe Brown
Miami Herald
MIAMI — Law enforcement officers from two counties are searching for an unmarked police car loaded with weapons, ammunition, riot gear -- and possibly even an emergency light -- that was stolen from outside a Hialeah restaurant early Friday morning.
Investigators are warning that the thief may possibly use the vehicle to impersonate a police officer by stopping an unsuspecting motorist.
''To us, it’s the last thing we want to happen,’' said Hialeah police spokesman Carl Zogby. “It is a dangerous situation. We do believe whoever did this knew exactly whose car he was stealing. . . . Anybody that brazen is a hardened criminal.’'
The theft happened shortly before 4 a.m. outside Flanigan’s Seaford Bar and Grill, 1550 W. 84th St. An off-duty officer working security at the restaurant left work about 4 a.m. and found his vehicle, a 2000 gold Ford Taurus, possibly with a license plate number of S014ZR, missing. Broken glass littered the pavement where the car had been parked, Zogby said.
The vehicle contained an assault rifle, a Glock, riot gear, a bullet-proof vest, police identification and probably an emergency light, Zogby said.
A witness reported seeing a white man, about five-feet, nine-inches tall with a goatee standing near the vehicle shortly before 4 a.m. Zogby said detectives are investigating whether the restaurant’s video surveillance cameras caught him on tape.
The officer, who was not identified, is a veteran who has worked the detail about once week for several years. There have been no reports of previous problems in the area, Zogby said.
The off-duty assignment is contracted through the police department, and it is common for officers to use the agency’s vehicles for police-related duty, he said.
''It could be a challenge or an initiation of sorts,’' Zogby said of a possible motive. ``He targets a police vehicle to try to steal police tactical gear to impersonate a police officer.’'
He said that motorists who feel uncomfortable about an officer in an unmarked vehicle stopping them should drive to a public area that is safe, and if they have doubts, call 911.
All the department’s officers have been trained to use patience and tolerance when pulling over motorists. However, he also warned that this doesn’t mean that drivers should flee a police officer altogether.
Copyright 2009 Miami Herald