A volunteer firefighter in Yorktown, Indiana, has been charged with impersonating a police officer and pointing a gun at a wanted man during a traffic stop. The firefighter, Derek J. Rains, reportedly used emergency lights on his personal vehicle to conduct the stop. Tyrone Frazier III reported
A volunteer off-duty firefighter in Yorktown, Indiana, named Derek J. Rains, has been charged with impersonating a police officer and pointing a gun at a wanted man during a traffic stop. The incident occurred when the man getting “arrested” called in to report that the officer who pulled him over had threatened him with a gun, saying, “Don’t move or I’ll shoot you.” Police arrived at the scene and quickly realized that the “police officer” was actually Rains, an off-duty firefighter.
Upon investigation, it was discovered that Rains had parked his personally owned Chevy pickup behind the wanted man’s car with emergency white and red lights activated. The man expressed his anger and dissatisfaction with Rains pointing a gun at him, and the officer assured him that any misconduct by emergency personnel would be thoroughly investigated. The wanted man was subsequently taken into police custody.
Further investigation into the incident revealed that multiple officers believed Rains had acted as a police officer without the authority to do so. Rains claimed that he had observed the man pull into a gas station with damage to his vehicle and had been informed by dispatch that the man was a suspect in a hit-and-run investigation in Madison County. Rains stated that he was a “special deputy” in Madison County and had drawn his gun when the man exited his vehicle.
Surveillance video footage showed the wanted man’s vehicle emitting smoke, followed by Rains pulling up behind it. After a brief interaction, the man left the parking lot, with Rains activating his emergency lights and following him. Rains later explained that he was merely trying to help the driver, as he had noticed significant damage to the car while he was with his wife and adult child. He claimed his intentions were to check if the driver needed assistance and to activate his lights to avoid being hit by passing vehicles.
Rains also stated that he drew his weapon after dispatch advised that the wanted man may be armed. However, investigators found discrepancies in Rains’ explanation, as video evidence did not support his claims about the suspect nearly colliding with other vehicles while leaving the gas station. The wanted man confirmed that he believed Rains was a police officer based on the presence of red and blue lights, a radio, and a weapon. He complied with Rains’ commands and expressed his belief that Rains had acted inappropriately by pointing the gun and shouting commands.
As a result of these findings, Rains’ weapon was seized for further investigation. The wanted man admitted to having a warrant from a previous case and stated that he immediately pulled over when he saw the “red and blue lights” behind him. He maintained that he believed Rains was a police officer based on the visual cues and was shocked by Rains’ behavior.
An initial hearing for the case was scheduled for December 11th at 9 a.m..