TAMPA, Fla — A man is facing several charges after deputies say he impersonated a law enforcement officer and arrested a woman before raping her.
Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office says just before midnight on Monday, Justin Evans, 35, began following a car with three women inside from the Bull Market in Tampa. His car, a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu, was equipped with LED lights which were mounted on his dashboard, the sheriff's office says.
He used the lights to pull the women over into an apartment complex and approached their car wearing dark clothing. Law enforcement says Evans told the women he was conducting a narcotics investigation and ordered them outside the car with their hands on the hood while he searched them.
According to the sheriff's office, Evans told one of the women she was under arrest and tied her hands behind her back with a zip tie. They say he then drove her to another apartment complex where he sexually battered her.
Evans would drop the woman off near where he had arrested her, the sheriff's office says.
At around 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, deputies say Evans' Malibu was identified near Wesley Chapel in Pasco County. When he realized law enforcement was following him, Evans left his car and ran into a wooded area where he was arrested, according to a press release.
The sheriff's office says Evans is currently being held in the Pasco County Jail where he faces six charges including impersonating a public officer, sexual battery, grand theft, kidnapping, and false imprisonment.
