Mobile police have arrested one of six men accused of posing as law enforcement officers and forcing their way into a woman’s home over the weekend while searching for narcotics.
Officers booked the 25-year-old suspect into the Mobile County Metro Jail on a Thursday afternoon, several days after the Mobile Police Department says he and five other men knocked on the door of a home near Old Shell Road. When the woman answered, the group allegedly identified themselves as police officers and demanded to search the residence for drugs.
Investigators said at least two of the men displayed handguns during the encounter. The group left after failing to locate any narcotics in the home, according to police. No injuries were reported.
A police spokesman said detectives were still working to identify and locate the remaining five suspects as of Friday morning and had not yet released descriptions of the other men involved.
The man who was arrested faces charges of impersonating a peace officer, first-degree robbery and first-degree burglary, along with a pair of unrelated traffic offenses uncovered through the booking process. Court records reviewed by South Alabama News show he had previously faced charges including contempt of court, third-degree theft and breaking into a vehicle.
Police did not disclose whether the woman targeted in the search was believed to have any connection to the suspects or whether the incident was linked to a specific ongoing investigation. Impersonating a law enforcement officer while armed is treated as a serious offense under Alabama law, given the added danger posed when victims believe they are complying with legitimate police authority.
The Mobile Police Department urged residents who are uncertain whether individuals at their door are genuine officers to ask for identification and, if suspicious, to call 911 to verify before allowing anyone inside. The investigation into the remaining suspects was ongoing at the time of the report.