Cop impersonator arrested after trying to stop real Oakland officer, police say

OAKLAND — A man suspected of impersonating an undercover police officer was arrested after he tried to stop a real Oakland undercover police officer, authorities said Friday.

Authorities said the suspect, Antonio Fernandez Martinez, 21, of Oakland, a convicted car thief, was not charged with impersonating a police officer, which is a misdemeanor. Instead, he will have his felony probation revoked and could face a prison term.

Police said Martinez, who was arrested Wednesday, at first denied trying to stop the officer's vehicle. But Officer Jim Beere, an undercover officer assigned to the vice/child exploitation unit whose vehicle Martinez was trying to stop, said Martinez later claimed he thought Beere was a member of a street gang he was having problems with and wanted to see who he was.

Martinez's act, which included him driving a car made to look like an undercover police vehicle, unraveled in the Fruitvale district, where Beere and other officers were looking for underage prostitutes who work the area, authorities said.

Although police have no reports about Martinez from any prostitutes, Beere said the concern is that he may have wanted to lure some of them into the car to assault them.

"But then he saw me and thought I'd be an easy mark" to rob, Beere said.

Beere was by himself in an undercover car when Martinez started following him about 5:35 p.m. Wednesday on International Boulevard near Fruitvale Avenue.

"He was in a black Ford Crown Victoria similar to our unmarked cars," Beere said. "He accelerated and turned on some flashing lights on his dash board. In the grill it looked like he had red and blue lights that seemed to be on, but they turned out to be painted speakers he had for a microphone he had in his hand and appeared to be talking into."

Beere thought Martinez wanted to pull him over and alerted other officers on his radio.

Martinez also made a hand gesture indicating he wanted Beere to stop his vehicle. That's when Beere saw Martinez's long hair and scruffy appearance and thought, "He's not a cop."

When Beere stopped for a red light at 25th Avenue and International, Martinez turned onto 25th Avenue. Martinez was arrested by officers a few blocks away. The modified car was registered to someone else.

Police are notifying other departments to see if Martinez might have been involved in similar incidents in other cities.

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