Wilmington man arrested for impersonating a police officer

NEW CASTLE COUNTY, DE (WTXF) - A Wilmington man has been arrested for impersonation a police officer after authorities discovered that he was in possession of police equipment during a traffic stop.

The incident occurred on Friday night around 9:07, according to a press release from New Castle County Police.

Officers working as a two officer car were doing proactive patrols near Pulaski Highway and Bear Christiana Road.

During the patrol they saw a tan Ford Explorer whose registration indicated that the owner had a suspended license. They stopped the vehicle and spoke with the driver, 34-year-old Abdula Ward.

The officers noticed that Abdula was wearing a shirt with "POLICE" written on it. They inquired further and saw that Ward had a handheld radio, handcuffs, and other law enforcement related equipment in plain sight.

After getting a search warrant, the officers searched the vehicle extensively.

They found a black gun with live ammunition inside as well as other police equipment.

The investigation is ongoing; however, Ward has not been linked to any other instances of impersonating a police officer other than this one.

He was charged with impersonation police officer, and possession of ammunition by a person prohibited due to previous conviction.

Ward was arraigned early Saturday morning and issued $15,000 bail. He was committed to Howard Young Correction Institution in lieu of bail.