Cobb County

Cobb police, APD investigating police impersonator who is assaulting women

COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Two women were sexually assaulted by a man posing as an officer in two different cities just hours apart on Friday.

Now investigators in Atlanta and Cobb County believe the same man could be behind the attacks.

Investigators told Channel 2’s Wendy Halloran that the impostor cop wears a uniform and drives what looks like a police cruiser.

Now, both departments are afraid he won’t stop until he’s caught.

The first incident happened around 1 a.m. A 25-year old woman was driving along Nash Road in northwest Atlanta when she thought she was being pulled over by a police officer.

Instead she was sexually assaulted.

"Right now, he’s a menace to any person driving out there in the hours of darkness who can’t recognize if that’s a real police officer or not," Sgt. Wayne Delk with the Cobb County Police Department said.

That same morning, around 4:30 a.m., another woman was driving to work along Terrell Mill Road and Paper Mill Road in Cobb County when she saw flashing lights.

She thought she was being pulled over. Delk told Halloran that the impostor asked for the woman’s driver’s license and then assaulted her.


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"He opened her door, grabbed her and he actually fondled and molested her and didn’t let her leave," Delk said. 

In both cases, the description is strikingly similar: a white man in his 30s, more than 6 feet tall with brown hair.

In the Cobb County case, the man was wearing a tan shirt with a collar, that had a gold emblem on it. He was also wearing dark pants and a police belt with a gun, a Taser and a radio. 

In the Atlanta incident, the man was wearing a dark-colored jacket with a star-shaped badge on it. 

Women Halloran spoke with said they are terrified this is happening.

"You have teenage, young drivers even older adults as well, and they’re very defenseless. You know they can’t defend themselves. They’re not even seeing it coming," a woman who only identified herself as Shaina told Halloran. 

Nikki Cannon, a mother, told Halloran that the attacks are a betrayal of trust.

"Police officers, you’re supposed to be able to trust. (Now,) you feel like you can’t," Cannon said.  

"We want to get him badly," Delk said.

Police gave a few recommendations to consider when pulling over for an officer who is conducting a traffic stop:

  • Pull over in a public area.
  • Find a well lit area so the officer can see you and you can see the officer. Turn on your hazard lights, slow down, and find the best location available to pull over.
  • You do not have to roll your window all the way down in order to speak to an officer or give an officer your driver's license and proof of insurance (but the license and proof of insurance are required to be handed over if an officer asks for them).
  • You can call 911 and make sure you are being pulled over by an actual officer (if you are unsure due to darkness or the car not being easily recognized as a marked patrol vehicle) while driving slowly with your hazard lights on.
  •  If you suspect the individual is not an actual officer, call 911 immediately and give your location and a description of the suspect and suspect vehicle if visible. Stay on the phone with the 911 operator until an officer arrives to assist you. 
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