A man in Florida who was wearing a suit and had what appeared to be a gun on his hip drew attention after he entered a Best Buy last week.
Store employees recognized the man because he'd been accused of stealing an iPhone X from the same location just a few days prior.
The police were called and officers approached the man, later identified as 61-year-old John O'Grady.
O'Grady told officers that he was a U.S. marshal, but he didn’t have any identification that proved that nor could he refer the officers to a supervisor.
After he was pressed by officers, the man conceded he was not a marshal and said the firearm at his hip was actually a BB gun.
“Congratulations, you just impersonated a police officer,” the officer said. “That’s a federal offense.”
O'Grady was also charged with impersonating a police officer.
The interaction with the officers was captured on a body camera worn by one of them.
“Members of the public don’t know the difference and someone’s life could be at stake in that case,” said Stephanie Slater, spokeswoman for the department.
O'Grady was released on bond and approached by the broadcaster.
Asked about his alleged crime of impersonation, he said, “I didn’t know it was illegal.”
Part of the investigation seeks to find out how long O'Grady was impersonating a U.S. marshal.
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