James Lucas Arrested After Posing As Cop; No Connection Yet To Mississippi Highway Killings

A man was taken into custody today for allegedly pulling over two drivers and posing as a cop -- but police haven't yet drawn a connection between him and the suspect being hunted in two Mississippi highway killings earlier this month.

WAPT reported that James Lucas, who was driving a blue Mercury Marquis, was pulled over at 12:15 p.m. in Yazoo City, because his car matched the description of the vehicle involved in two incidents in Humphreys County on Wednesday night.

In the first incident, a driver reported being pulled over by a car matching Lucas' with flashing blue lights. The fake cop allegedly fired a shot at the driver, who sped off to a nearby police precinct to report it.

A few minutes later, another highway driver reported a similar incident, but said that the Marquis driver didn't approach after pulling him over.

Lucas is being questioned and hasn't been formally charged, but Humphreys County Sheriff's deputies told the station that charges are likely.

Deputies don't believe that the incidents were connected to two shooting deaths earlier this month in which someone posed as an officer and pulled them over. But investigators aren't ruling anything out, according to the station.

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Comments

[Yaeger J]

07:20 PM on 05/19/2012

I for one will be looking at getting a gun permit because of this and other reasons. Furthermore, l will be extremely cautious if I am involved in the near future with an officer.This whole situation has created a major challenge for police and laymen. I ask that all people who are engaged in these situations, including the overzealous officers with large egos will pray before they proceed with this challenge. May God Be With You All.

[Yaeger J]

07:03 PM on 05/19/2012

My fear is this. Now it is known that other people can purchase material to profect to the tee a real officer, that more people will be doing it because they know that they can. Here is a concern I have, with this being said more people will be purchasing hand guns, and more officers will be taking down because of people's fears.

[dlp7202]

02:14 PM on 05/19/2012

"Deputies don't believe that the incidents were connected to two shooting deaths earlier this month in which someone posed as an officer and pulled them over. "

WHY NOT??

[libsrskanky]

06:37 PM on 05/19/2012

Because they caught the guy who was actually doing it. Verified by ballistics.

[dlp7202]

01:35 AM on 05/20/2012

Good...wish the story had included the reason! Thanks, Dave/

[scrapper7]

11:25 AM on 05/19/2012

Police officers willingly take risks every day and every time they put on their uniform! Sadly, a great many police officers have been ambushed and subsequently killed, making routine traffic stops. That being said, James Lucas is a disgrace and an insult to their memory, whether or not he perpetrated the homicides!

[Wilson Orshal]

09:22 PM on 05/18/2012

I have met a lot of different people in professions with authority.
Generally they conduct themselves well giving respect to citizens who treat them as human beings and even some who do not.
From my personal experience it seems the ones with the most training and education (state troopers) are more interested in keeping people safe rather than making a bust.
City Police and local sheriff deputies are less trained and might have a (unofficial) quota to fill.
I have also been the victim of persons of authority who seemed to have a chip on their shoulder and treat everyone like a criminal.
People are people no matter what their job.
Criminals like the fake cop need to get taken down hard. They give the Good guys a bad reputation.
Be the good guy but don't overdo it. Some people make minor mistakes. Most times a warning will be enough.

[Wrench Turner]

03:15 AM on 05/19/2012

I agree with you on the troopers (largely because I have several including my dad in the family) but a lot of county and city agencies are really great with drug and gang prevention programs and things of that nature and in some areas people prefer speaking to them over the state police because they feel they are more connected to the area so to speak.

[JackVandusen]

06:08 PM on 05/18/2012

he was probably headed to the doughnut shop when he was pulled over...

[Tootsie56]

01:07 PM on 05/18/2012

They don't call it Ole Miss fer nuttin'!

[ipleathe5thh]

10:54 AM on 05/18/2012

& to think they can buy everything they need to pose as a cop with a credit card & push of a button. I am a Police Officer & I went to a Police Equiptment Web Site to buy some new equipment & also bought strobe lights for my personal truck. They never asked me to prove or provide an ID to prove I was a Police Officer? If I can buy it without proof just images who can. There are so Website that make Badges & as long as you got the money, They'll make anything you want. A News Station here did a story where they made & ordered a Police Badge that looked exactly like the City's Badge. Makes you wonder how many people who shouldn't have it. Have these Badges & Lights on Thier cars

[Wrench Turner]

03:18 AM on 05/19/2012

Most people can get together all the kit they need to impersonate a cop off amazon.com.

I've seen all kinds of state patrol badges, NYPD, LAPD, LASD, CPD, Lake Tahoe Sheriffs (no idea why this agency) available for sale on sights, that oughta be regulated in my opinion.

[ipleathe5thh]

04:48 PM on 05/20/2012

Sure does. If i can buy all the stuff i did without Proof of who i was then it means anybody can buy the same thing i did from Bulletproof Vest, Handcuffs & Strobe Lights they can buy both Strobe lights for visor, window and full strobe bars for the top of their cars. In another comment i made on here i told how i arrested a guy who had pulled over a woman on one of our backroads he was all decked out had on a Police Shirt & The Pants we wear and a full gunbelt....The thing that caught my attention was the way he had his lights and the fact that i drive the only unmarked unit in our dept...After we arrested him and searched his car and home we found tons of stolen credit cards, ID's & Checks it turns out he was the "Fake Cop" we;ve been chasing all over the state for 6-8 months and he was also wanted ro Murder for killing a man who fought back when he tried to rob him....He had everything in his truck that made him look like a legit police officer from the Radios he even mounted a Laptop on his Dash to make him look 100% legit....He almost had me fooled. He told me he was a State Trooper & Our troopers lights are Blue and he took 100% untill i asked him one simple question that every cop knows and he couldn't answer it....I asked

[ipleathe5thh]

04:50 PM on 05/20/2012

in code when his vacation was and any cops even retired cops know what it ment and he answered with another code and i told him well mines in august and i pulled my weapon out and ordered him down and arrested him as my backup was just arriving....He plead guilty to the murders and robberies and he got Life in prison...

[KSpeir]

10:46 AM on 05/18/2012

A man has been charged. Shell casings left scene matched. Go to Clarionledger.com

[KSpeir]

10:45 AM on 05/18/2012

A man has been charged. Go to Clarionledger.com

[ipleathe5thh]

10:45 AM on 05/18/2012

It's people like this who make our jobs a lot harder because it really scares people outra there wits & they don't want to pull over for us when we're in unmarked units. I drive an unmarked unit in our division as part of the traffic unit & our lights are blue like this guys. & people don't know if we're real or make so I don't fault them or charge them with running when they wait till we get to a gas station or something that is the right thing to do if your not sure. Several month ago we had our own "Fake Cop" I was driving home one night in my unit & I noticed flashing blue lights from a visor light which none of our units have so I called in to see if it was anybody we knew & it wasn't so I pulled in behind him & He walked towards me & said Hey everything's fine you can go on. I asked him for ID he gave me his DL which a real cop would've given his Police ID Comment One Of Two..

[Yaeger J]

06:52 PM on 05/19/2012

Here is my question to you. Once you realized this person was a fake cop, Did you proceed to arrest him yourself, or call for a back up to assist in the arrest of this person?

[ipleathe5thh]

04:41 PM on 05/20/2012

I had called for backup before i turned around and went back but once i did realize he wasn't a State Trooper i already had my weapon drawn i ordered him to the ground and arrested him just as my back up was walking up to help me

[ipleathe5thh]

10:45 AM on 05/18/2012

This guy was decked out had a shirt on that said Police & Full Gun Belt so he looked real to someone being pulled over after we arrested him & searched his Truck & Home we found tons of ID, Credit Cards, Checks from drivers he had pulled over & robbed. Turns out he was the one we had been looking for, Fox six months he was also wanted for Murder for killing a driver who fought him Comment Two Of Two

[Bebe36]

10:28 AM on 05/18/2012

The local stations on the Gulf Coast and in New Orleans are reporting that this man is being charged with the two earlier deaths.

[travistmoney69]

09:55 AM on 05/18/2012

But they tell women in order to avoid this to make sure they are in a well lit public place before pulling over, but what if your in the country. And if they don't pull over right away they want to haul you of to jail. You try to be safe you go to jail, you comply you might end up dead.

[acarioti]

09:16 AM on 05/18/2012

He will likely meet with an 'accident' by real police. Well, at least I hope he does.

[Wrench Turner]

03:20 AM on 05/19/2012

I don't, tempting as it is, the cops have to act in the interest of justice, not revenge.