Man suspected of posing as Seattle cop in robberies arrested
Feb 28, 2013, 8:13 AM | Updated: 8:49 am
Police in Auburn have arrested a man accused of posing as a Seattle police officer and robbing people in local parks.
Detective Mark Jamieson with the Seattle Police Department said 46-year-old Ryan Purdy was picked up Wednesday night after he bragged to someone on the bus that he was wanted by police. The passenger alerted the authorities, and Purdy was arrested.
Police have been looking for Purdy since December, when a number of cases of a man posing as an officer to steal people’s credit cards and cash were reported.
Jamieson said detectives believe Purdy would walk up to people claiming to be an officer. He would then ask people for their identification.
“Without their knowing it, he had taken their bank card or their credit card,” he said. “They only realized they had been the victim of a robbery after they left the area.”
Purdy even tried to pull a scam on the arresting officers by giving them a phony name, but it didn’t work.
Purdy will likely face robbery and impersonating an officer charges.
