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Maserati Decepticon Guy fights back against police-impersonation charge

You recall, of course, the guy who got a ticket for impersonating a police officer in Braintree after painting his Maserati to look like a Decepticon.

His lawyer, Russell Matson, vows a vigorous defense when the case comes up on Sept. 4 in Quincy District Court:

My client has applied several different dip color changes to his car before deciding to deck out his car in homage to the Transformers character Barricade. ...

At no point did he represent himself as a police officer.

At no point did he attempt to pull anyone over.

My client does not and has never carried a gun or a badge, or dressed as a police officer.

The car itself, while certainly distinctive, did not have any blue lights like an actual police car. Despite decoration that make it look similar to a police car, it does not bear any official town or state seal of any police department.

The statute for impersonating a police officer MGL Chapter 268 Section 33 states that a person must “acts as such or requires a person to aid or assist him in a matter pertaining to the duty of such officer”.

My client did none of these things. Therefore the clerk magistrate should drop this case, and I believe that is what should happen at our upcoming court date next month.

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Comments

sounds like a case of "you can beat the charge but not the ride"

there really needs to be a disincentive for this BS, such as a fine to departments whenever charges are dismissed by the judge before trial, along with complete expungement of said arrest record

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I want to hire that lawyer!

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I used to work at the House of Blues back in the olden days when it was in Harvard Square. At the time, we had a replica Bluesmobile (old Dodge sedan painted to look like a police cruiser and with a loudspeaker on top, like in the Blues Brothers movie). We would ride all around Boston, Cambridge, and Somerville in that thing, both to promote shows and sometimes just to get gear and people to an event.

The only time the police seemed to mind was when I used the roof-mounted loudspeaker to try to flirt with ladies walking by. If that thing was legit, then this Maserati certainly is too.

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Nor is driving a car "impersonating a police officer".

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I'm pretty sure that most people would consider that harrassment.

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Oh, yeah. It was harassment on the verge of assault. This thing had a speaker cone that was three feet in diameter, so it was kind of like trying to flirt with one of those LRADs the police were using in Ferguson the other night.

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It could equally be an homage to The Blues Brothers.

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what punishment is the masarati guy looking at if found guilty? why is he so arrogant? what a stupid thing to do to your masarati. this lawyer sounds like sal goodman...

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but practically zero chance of jail time ever happening.

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You spend that kind of money for a car, you can do whatever the fuck you want with it, as far as I'm concerned.

what a stupid thing to do to your masarati.

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Where he decaled "Speed Enforcement" just like the movie paint job. It's a bit more damning than the hashtags and Transformers references on the rest of the car.

However, the law does say looks like a cop "AND acts" like a cop. Not "or". So, barring the guy having been pulled over and saying something stupid like, "Hello, fellow officer" to the cop that gave him a ticket, I don't see how this sticks.

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I'm tempted to say it IS a crime to do that to such a beautiful vehicle, but perhaps police cars should look less like military vehicles these days. Driving through the suburbs like Lexington you see just the most aggressive looking cars that are designed to not look like cop cars anyway... I think this guy has a case, and towns have a lesson to learn.

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Seems like someone is doing their best to hide their identity.

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I can't believe the lawyer ignored the ironclad defense, "Who the f**k thinks a municipal police force can afford a Maserati?"

Then again, now that we all know they have tanks and rocket launchers, the Maz looks less farfetched.

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If you don't want to get depressed, don't Google "civil forfeiture" and especially don't read this New Yorker article on the topic, but police have been known to seize fancy sports cars from alleged drug dealers and re-use them, so that's no longer a good defense.

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And all this time, I thought they auctioned them. Does this mean I never get to live out my crime boss fantasies in the DR because some cop has snapped up my McCasa?

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Skimming the article... that is quite disturbing.

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Miami Vice had some nice rides. There is an Italian police force with a sky blue Lamborghini.

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No penalty for that, nor them using cars not properly identifying them. Not fair.

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Remember when judges got to decide was was not legal and cops didn't get to make up the rules on the spot?

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