YUKON, Okla. — State and local police shot and killed a suspect who had been pulling people over, impersonating a police officer, on Wednesday afternoon.
The public is reminded to take precautions if something seems off when they are pulled over: drive slowly to a well-lit, crowded parking lot with your hazards on and call 911. The dispatcher can verify if it is a real law enforcement officer pulling you over.
The suspect, later identified as 62-year-old David Allen Rawson, was confronted by law enforcement at the Whitehorse Apartments, located at Rte. 66 and Sara Road in Yukon, near the border between Yukon and Oklahoma City. It is believed that Rawson lived in the apartments and was returning home after pulling people over nearby.
According to Oklahoma City Police Department, a deputy had been following a black unmarked older vehicle that had just pulled a woman over. The man conducting the traffic stop, later identified as Rawson, was not in uniform. Police ran the vehicle tag and it came back as an officer impersonator.
Oklahoma City and Yukon police responded to the call, along with Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP).
“We encountered an individual that we believe to be the person who was impersonating a police officer,” said OHP Spokesperson Lt. Mark Southall. “During a conversation with this person who was armed, he drew a pistol, and Yukon PD and the OHP trooper discharged their weapons in defense of themselves and others. The suspect is deceased.”
A witness, who did not want to be identified, described the scene for a reporter for KOCO, saying, “I see there’s a bunch of cops, so I parked my car up front, and somebody — a big dude, … was just lying there, they were trying to revive him.”
Court records show Rawson had been charged with one count of identity theft in late July.
No officers were injured in the encounter. The officers involved have been placed on administrative leave, in keeping with standard procedure, as the investigation continues.
