A Detroit man is speaking out after he says he was involved in a freeway confrontation with a man who had a gun and posed as a cop.
Ronnie Easton says it happened Tuesday afternoon as he was leaving downtown Detroit.
He was at a light when it turned green and then he says the people in the SUV behind him got impatient.
Easton says the female driver immediately began honking her horn and the male passenger kept "thrusting a badge" at him as he looked in the rear view mirror.
Easton says the SUV came up next to him and the man got out and told him, "I'm a cop, I'm a cop!"
When Easton tried to take a picture of the badge, he says the man left.
"I don't think he'd do all that if he was really a cop," Easton said.
Easton added that once he mentioned taking a picture of the badge, the man left. He says about a minute later on I-375, the same SUV showed up and this time Easton had his camera phone rolling. The man got out his vehicle and came up to Easton's window with a gun in hand.
"He flashed his gun at me," Easton said.
He wanted to know who he says was trying to intimidate him, but soon he was gone.
"Pure coincidence... Detroit police officer pulled behind their car and turned flashers on and he got back in the car," Easton said.
He says there was no traffic stop and the SUV eventually drove off. He filed a complaint with Michigan State Police.
"If he's gonna do it to me, he's gonna do it to other people," Easton said.
Michigan State Police say they are investigating and trying to identify the man with the gun and find out if he is a police officer.
"Our investigation is still ongoing so we don't know if that's the case or not yet. If it is an officer involved, I would have obviously concerns with that as well," says Detective First Lt. Robert Weimer of MSP.
Police stress it's never a good idea to engage with someone in a situation like that. They suggest getting as much information as possible, but to distance yourself from the situation.
Easton did get the SUV's license plate, so police do know the registered owner of the SUV, but they're still working on identifying the driver.
