I was driving 66E between 7100 & rt50 and saw this (picture below):

Red late model Ford SUV, MD plates, unmarked, no external/visible lights, heavily tinted windows, driving in the HOV lane doing about 70mph.

Red SUV pulled up behind a motorist who was doing about 65-70, in my opinion he got way to close. He turned on his lights which were in the windows, front and back, and inside the tail/headlights. Red, Blue and white.

the motorist dramatically pulled into the next lane to the right cutting off another vehicle who had to brake.

the red SUV went on at about 75mph. he went with his lights going for about 45-60 seconds, and then turned off his lights, by now he'd slowed to about 70 again. I caught up to him to see WTF, and pulled up next to him, two lanes away. he saw me looking and rolled down his window giving a gesture as if to say "WHAT?!"

i slowed down, he slowed down, i sped up, he sped up. I'd reached my exit and pulled off, but right before I did he came one lane closer to me. not sure if he was going to try to exit after me or what.

Isn't it illegal for a law enforcement vehicle to run their lights unless it is an emergency?

if this guy had MD plates, did he have even less of a reason to run his lights in Virginia?

I did not get his plate#, should I report him to VA State Police (since it happened on a state hwy)
Attachments:

It depends on the vehicles jurisdiction. By that I mean this could of been a federal vehicle such as FBI or the US Marshall service with MD tags. In that case they can damn well have their lights on anytime they feel like it in any state.

I saw that same guy a while back do the exact same thing to make the right from Prosperity to 236 and then left onto Guinea. I hope the real cops catch him and put him through the wringer rather than afford professional courtesy.

JursDick Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It depends on the vehicles jurisdiction. By that
> I mean this could of been a federal vehicle such
> as FBI or the US Marshall service with MD tags.
> In that case they can damn well have their lights
> on anytime they feel like it in any state.


FBI, CIA, Secret Service, whatever, that shouldn't mean that he can turn his lights on just so a car going 65-70 gets out of the HOV lane so he can go 70-75...in a 55!!!

I would absolutely contact the State Police...obviously it wasn't any "emergency" if he had the time to confront you like that...

66er Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> JursDick Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > It depends on the vehicles jurisdiction. By
> that
> > I mean this could of been a federal vehicle
> such
> > as FBI or the US Marshall service with MD tags.
>
> > In that case they can damn well have their
> lights
> > on anytime they feel like it in any state.
>
>
> FBI, CIA, Secret Service, whatever, that shouldn't
> mean that he can turn his lights on just so a car
> going 65-70 gets out of the HOV lane so he can go
> 70-75...in a 55!!!

Maybe he was escorting a dignitary coming in from Dulles.

Probably some PG County commissioner asshole abusing County property.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://bible.cc/1_corinthians/13-11.htm

LiverLips Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> Maybe he was escorting a dignitary coming in from
> Dulles.


nope. he wouldn't have a) taken 66. b) rolled down his window in the rain. c) slowed, then sped, then slowed up.

I agree the guy was being a jerk but without a plate number calling the police is probably pointless. The thing to do would have been to call the police when it happened and reported a maroon SUV driving erratically in the area.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/12/2012 11:45AM by justsayin.

justsayin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I agree the guy was being a jerk but without a
> plate number calling the police is probably
> pointless. The thing to do would have been to
> call the police when it happened and reported a
> maroon SUV driving erratically in the area.


...with his emergency lights going so "slow" people get out of his way AND traveling at 75mph. erratically? EVERYONE does that.

So do nothing, I don't care. But that would have been much more useful than calling the police hours after an event and asking them to hunt down every maroon SUV in with Maryland tags that is tied to some kind of law enforcement.

how about you just mind your own business instead of making the driving situation worse by pulling up beside him and taking a pic phone of the dude. You were more of a danger than he was-driving all distracted, speeding up, then getting your phone out-i bet you got a chubby too
what a tool

Seen this before Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I would absolutely contact the State
> Police...obviously it wasn't any "emergency" if he
> had the time to confront you like that...


And do what tell them you saw a cop speeding? Yea good luck with that.

To the OP nothing and i mean abosolutely nothing will happen if you try and contact anyone. Just let it go and dont waste your time

The guy is obviously with a federal agency, probably FBI with the MD tags. Why don't you mind your own fucking business?

how the hell did you take the picture? it seems like you were paying attention to what people were doing behind you/next to you. Pay attention to the road! this is why accidents happen, for morons like you.

I will say that even with all the crappy responses it hasn't been as bad as I'd expected. So far no racial slurs, or anyone talking about anyone's mother.

I emailed the VA State Police, here is the response I got:

> Dear Sir,
>
> Thank you for bringing this to our attention.
> If you should encounter such a situation like
> this again, we would encourage you to notify
> us by calling #77 on your cell phone. This
> allows us to provide a more immediate response.


So like some of you said, there's nothing they can do now. Obviously I did not think they were going to put on a man-hunt or anything. I did consider calling when it happened, but at that moment I was in a bit of a hurry.


bobbafeet Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> how about you just mind your own business instead
> of making the driving situation worse by pulling
> up beside him and taking a pic phone of the dude.
> You were more of a danger than he was-driving all
> distracted, speeding up, then getting your phone
> out-i bet you got a chubby too
> what a tool

my business? you're right, i'm sure that poor old asian lady who almost caused a serious accident trying to get out of his way was minding her own business. i wasn't doing anything on my phone like texting or getting directions, I just grabbed it, snapped a pic, and threw it down.

Now I'm trying to weigh the pros & cons of having to hear about that, vs all the posts of "pic or it didn't happen" that I would have gotten otherwise.

Obvious Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> how the hell did you take the picture? it seems
> like you were paying attention to what people were
> doing behind you/next to you. Pay attention to the
> road! this is why accidents happen, for morons
> like you.

for average people like yourself, yes.
leave the rest to us who are alert and notice things and can multitask.

66er Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Obvious Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > how the hell did you take the picture? it seems
> > like you were paying attention to what people
> were
> > doing behind you/next to you. Pay attention to
> the
> > road! this is why accidents happen, for morons
> > like you.
>
> for average people like yourself, yes.
> leave the rest to us who are alert and notice
> things and can multitask.

that's what most idiots think, I bet you were texting too.

Next time dial #77. Simple. Afterall, there are state troopers sitting on 66 at all times of the day. This car would have passed by said trooper and been pulled over, thus quickily resolving your issue. But instead, you wasted much more of your precious time driving erratically and telling us about it.

Ask yourself this: If doing what is right, takes 45 seconds and resolves the issue should I do that? Or should I speed up, slow down, switch lanes, get my camera phone ready to take a picture, raise my blood pressure, become a risk to other drivers so I can post to FFU which will take much more of my time?

I think this question will answer itself.

66er Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I will say that even with all the crappy responses
> it hasn't been as bad as I'd expected. So far no
> racial slurs, or anyone talking about anyone's
> mother.
>
> I emailed the VA State Police, here is the
> response I got:
>
> > Dear Sir,
> >
> > Thank you for bringing this to our attention.
> > If you should encounter such a situation like
> > this again, we would encourage you to notify
> > us by calling #77 on your cell phone. This
> > allows us to provide a more immediate response.
>
>
> So like some of you said, there's nothing they can
> do now. Obviously I did not think they were going
> to put on a man-hunt or anything. I did consider
> calling when it happened, but at that moment I was
> in a bit of a hurry.
>
>
> bobbafeet Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > how about you just mind your own business
> instead
> > of making the driving situation worse by
> pulling
> > up beside him and taking a pic phone of the
> dude.
> > You were more of a danger than he was-driving
> all
> > distracted, speeding up, then getting your
> phone
> > out-i bet you got a chubby too
> > what a tool
>
> my business? you're right, i'm sure that poor old
> asian lady who almost caused a serious accident
> trying to get out of his way was minding her own
> business. i wasn't doing anything on my phone like
> texting or getting directions, I just grabbed it,
> snapped a pic, and threw it down.
>
> Now I'm trying to weigh the pros & cons of having
> to hear about that, vs all the posts of "pic or it
> didn't happen" that I would have gotten otherwise.

safe driver Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> 66er Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Obvious Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > how the hell did you take the picture? it
> seems
> > > like you were paying attention to what people
> > were
> > > doing behind you/next to you. Pay attention
> to
> > the
> > > road! this is why accidents happen, for
> morons
> > > like you.
> >
> > for average people like yourself, yes.
> > leave the rest to us who are alert and notice
> > things and can multitask.
>
> that's what most idiots think, I bet you were
> texting too.

no i get your implied "i'm a safer than average driver" and "texting doesn't impair my driving abilities" yeah.

i wasn't texting. are you serious? i could have been pulled over by crazy red suv police man!!

66er Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I emailed the VA State Police, here is the
> response I got:
>
> > Dear Sir,
> >
> > Thank you for bringing this to our attention.
> > If you should encounter such a situation like
> > this again, we would encourage you to notify
> > us by calling #77 on your cell phone. This
> > allows us to provide a more immediate response.

Wow, what a surprising response and recommendation.

The OP needs to concentrate on his driving and minding his own business, rather than being a road vigilante and endangering everyone else by fumbling with driving and taking photos.

Blessed are the murderous.

eesh Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The OP needs to concentrate on his driving and
> minding his own business, rather than being a road
> vigilante and endangering everyone else by
> fumbling with driving and taking photos.

you're either a cop, or the boyfriend of a cop, or you meet cops in motels in stafford co.

should i run around highways with my emergency lights on for no reason? would that be better? maybe I should just buy an ambulance off of craigslist and use that to get home faster on 66 during rush hour.

66er Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> eesh Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > The OP needs to concentrate on his driving and
> > minding his own business, rather than being a
> road
> > vigilante and endangering everyone else by
> > fumbling with driving and taking photos.
>
> you're either a cop, or the boyfriend of a cop, or
> you meet cops in motels in stafford co.
>
> should i run around highways with my emergency
> lights on for no reason? would that be better?
> maybe I should just buy an ambulance off of
> craigslist and use that to get home faster on 66
> during rush hour.




I think you need to learn your place, and concentrate on driving from point A to point B.

Blessed are the murderous.

Sounds like the OP has some anger issues... I'm glad she isn't a police officer.

justsayin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Sounds like the OP has some anger issues... I'm
> glad she isn't a police officer.


Probably been arrested before

eesh Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> 66er Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > eesh Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > The OP needs to concentrate on his driving
> and
> > > minding his own business, rather than being a
> > road
> > > vigilante and endangering everyone else by
> > > fumbling with driving and taking photos.
> >
> > you're either a cop, or the boyfriend of a cop,
> or
> > you meet cops in motels in stafford co.
> >
> > should i run around highways with my emergency
> > lights on for no reason? would that be better?
> > maybe I should just buy an ambulance off of
> > craigslist and use that to get home faster on
> 66
> > during rush hour.
>
>
>
>
> I think you need to learn your place, and
> concentrate on driving from point A to point B.

yep, definitely a cop.
"learn your place" you worthless civilian. as you pull out your nightstick.

i've never been in a distraction related car accident, or even a near miss. but i know the types you are talking about. with their GPS, phones, kids, radios. its terrifying to know my loved ones are out there with these people flying around aimlessly in their cars.

when i took the picture, my eyes were straight ahead. i didn't even look at it until today.

i respect cops, like yourself, but what I witnessed was an, albeit slight, abuse of power.

66er Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> > I think you need to learn your place, and
> > concentrate on driving from point A to point B.
>
> yep, definitely a cop.
> "learn your place" you worthless civilian. as you
> pull out your nightstick.
>
> i've never been in a distraction related car
> accident, or even a near miss. but i know the
> types you are talking about. with their GPS,
> phones, kids, radios. its terrifying to know my
> loved ones are out there with these people flying
> around aimlessly in their cars.
>
> when i took the picture, my eyes were straight
> ahead. i didn't even look at it until today.
>
> i respect cops, like yourself, but what I
> witnessed was an, albeit slight, abuse of power.


Why is it that everyone that defends a cop must be a cop?

For all you know he could have had a prisoner in the back and used the lights to make sure there was an open escape route is something were to happen. It was most likely a federal agent considering the plates and car make, and its not unreasonable to think there could have been a high value prisoner or witness in the car that people would either like back or to kill.

bobbafeet Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> how about you just mind your own business instead
> of making the driving situation worse by pulling
> up beside him and taking a pic phone of the dude.
> You were more of a danger than he was-driving all
> distracted, speeding up, then getting your phone
> out-i bet you got a chubby too
> what a tool

Concur.

This incident was probably the highlight of the OP's week, though.

66er Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Isn't it illegal for a law enforcement vehicle to
> run their lights unless it is an emergency?
>
> if this guy had MD plates, did he have even less
> of a reason to run his lights in Virginia?
>
> I did not get his plate#, should I report him to
> VA State Police (since it happened on a state hwy)

Don't waste your time. LEOs look out for each other. If you call and complain, the person on the phone will assure you they'll look into it and then promptly forget about it.

--------------------------------------------------------------
13 4826 0948 82695 25847. Yes.

no way hes a cop Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> Why is it that everyone that defends a cop must be
> a cop?
>
> For all you know he could have had a prisoner in
> the back and used the lights to make sure there
> was an open escape route is something were to
> happen. It was most likely a federal agent
> considering the plates and car make, and its not
> unreasonable to think there could have been a high
> value prisoner or witness in the car that people
> would either like back or to kill.


You've been watching too much TV.

FantasyLand Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> no way hes a cop Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> >
> > Why is it that everyone that defends a cop must
> be
> > a cop?
> >
> > For all you know he could have had a prisoner
> in
> > the back and used the lights to make sure there
> > was an open escape route is something were to
> > happen. It was most likely a federal agent
> > considering the plates and car make, and its
> not
> > unreasonable to think there could have been a
> high
> > value prisoner or witness in the car that
> people
> > would either like back or to kill.
>
>
> You've been watching too much TV.

Not at all that really happens. I didnt say it was happening but I said it could be. The point was that the guy just automatically assumed that he was doing something wrong when he has no clue what he was doing.

MrMephisto Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Don't waste your time. LEOs look out for each
> other. If you call and complain, the person on the
> phone will assure you they'll look into it and
> then promptly forget about it.

true. true.


no way hes a cop Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Not at all that really happens. I didnt say it
> was happening but I said it could be. The point
> was that the guy just automatically assumed that
> he was doing something wrong when he has no clue
> what he was doing.

i would be tracking with you however, had these high stakes factors been in play, I don't think he would have noticed me looking and rolled down his window, then proceed to slow up with me, then speed up. This was most likely the same guy that pulled a gun out during a snowball fight back in 2009 because one of them hit his car.

My money is on a police impersonator

I have seen the same SUV on W66 in the past. He was on the right shoulder behind a car and had his lights on. I thought it was odd that a cop with MD plates would have someone pulled over. I saw him the next day headed W66 and I tried to catch up and get his plate but he took off and took the PWC Pkwy exit.

Federal Government Vechicles have U.S. Govt plates (Official Use Only); they don;t use state license plates

I had the same type thing happen to me in MD, it was a Homeland Security douchebag. Reported him to MD state police and DHS inspector general. Of course I heard nothing back.