Man posing as police officer attacks victim in Uptown neighborhood, police say

PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Police in Zone 2 are investigating after a man pretended he was one of them, then tackled and terrorized a victim before he was arrested.

Police were dispatched to the intersection of Forbes Avenue and Van Braam Street Sunday night and found the victim nearby. He said he was walking on Forbes when the man, later identified as Preston Bazemore, began to follow and harass him for cigarettes. He then allegedly identified himself as a police officer.

Police said Bazemore threatened to arrest the victim, who asked to see a police badge. He then allegedly threw the victim into the side of a building and punched him in the face before stealing the cigarettes and running away. Police said he went to Uptown Beer, where they arrested him.

People who live and work in the area had mixed reaction to the incident.

“I’m a little surprised, but I could see it happening,” said Shannon Ervin, who works nearby. “We want to trust our police officers, and this gives them a bad name.”

“Very scary, very scary…I’ve seen a lot of violence out here since I’ve been out here for a little while, but yeah, I’m not surprised about that,” said Kevin Legall, who lives in the area.

Police said they found a crack cocaine pipe on Bazemore when they arrested him. He faces several charges, including Robbery and Impersonating a Public Servant.

Bazemore remains in the Allegheny County Jail.

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