Chicago Teen Police Impersonator Arrested Again as Adult

Chicago Teen Police Impersonator Arrested Again as Adult
Police separate pro- and anti-police demonstrators during a protest on Aug. 15, 2020, in Chicago, Illinois. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
The Associated Press
2/12/2021
Updated:
2/12/2021

CHICAGO—A man arrested three times for impersonating a Chicago police officer, including once at age 14, has been arrested again for the same crime, police said.

Vincent Richardson was arrested Wednesday and charged with felony impersonation of an officer, police said Thursday. He is accused of pretending to be a Chicago police sergeant on Jan. 14, Jan. 27, and Feb. 3. Authorities haven’t released details on Richardson’s latest actions.

Richardson, who was also wanted on a warrant, was scheduled to appear Friday in Cook County Circuit Court. It wasn’t immediately known whether he has a lawyer to speak on his behalf.

Richardson was arrested in 2009, at age 14, after being so convincing as a police officer that he was assigned a radio and went on patrol with a real officer.

In 2013, at age 19, Richardson pretended he was an officer and was arrested when he tried to buy police equipment. And in 2015, at age 21, Richardson was arrested after police stopped his car while investigating a call of shots fired. He was wearing a protective vest and had a police duty belt, scanner, BB gun, and stun gun in his possession. He received 18-month sentences for impersonating an officer after each offense.