A Prince George man stands accused of driving around the city in a sport utility vehicle equipped with flashing police lights and claiming he was a police officer.
Prince George RCMP said they first became aware of Patrick Shawn Maguire, 29, on Friday night when they received a call from a witness reporting a confrontation at a gathering at the end of North Nechako Road.
The witness, who called RCMP at 10:20 p.m., said he first noticed a Chevrolet Tahoe pull out of a gas station at Fifth Avenue and Tabor Boulevard, follow him along Fifth Avenue, then activate blue and red flashing lights and then pass him.
When the witness continued onto North Nechako Road, he saw the vehicle once again, this time on the side of the road. When he passed, the Tahoe pulled back onto the road and followed him to the end of North Nechako.
The witness ended up at a bonfire where the SUV also showed up. A man got out and identified himself as “Officer Maguire,” RCMP said.
The man then gave a badge number when asked for one, "but became belligerent with the group and began swearing," RCMP said. He got back into his SUV and activated the lights as he drove away.
RCMP said a subsequent patrol of the area found Maguire stopped in the parking lot of a mobile home park on North Nechako and he was arrested. He was released on $500 bail on Saturday and issued an order compelling him to remove the illegal modifications from his vehicle and have the vehicle inspected by a licensed inspection agency before driving again.
Crown prosecution has approved charges of personating a police officer, personating an officer by using a badge and breaching a probation order. Maguire is currently serving an 18-month term of probation, issued in September 2020, for uttering threats.
