Lake County man charged with impersonating a police officer

LAKE COUNTY, Fla. (FOX 35 WOFL) - Body camera video from inside Jonathan Shaddix's car recorded what he said, after another driver zipped past him at an intersection.

“Papa, hotel, tango. Having some trouble maintaining lane,” Shaddix said, “originally passed me at over 100mph.”

Shaddix chased after him. “Vehicle passed me at an incredible rate of speed, where it was merging into a single-lane road,” Shaddix said.

Shaddix is a security guard, not a sworn officer, but he could be mistaken for one in a car decked-out with white lights, a bullhorn, and bodycam rolling.

“I made a decision to alert other traffic around us that his driving was reckless by activating warning lights and siren on my vehicle,” Shaddix said.

Shaddix decided to enact what he calls a 'citizen’s arrest.' The driver on the other end, Galen Higgins, stopped as soon as he saw lights. 

“They were only white lights. I wasn't sure, I thought it might be an undercover state trooper, I'm not sure,” Higgins recalled, “I'm not going to question the logistics of their decision making.”

Higgins was confused when sheriff’s deputies arrived and started asking questions. 

“He turns around, looks at me hands on his hips and says so what's the deal with this guy?” Higgins recalled, “I look at him and say - he's not a cop?!”

Shaddix is the one who ended up in cuffs, accused of impersonating an officer. “He put himself in a very dangerous situation,” said Lake County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Fred Jones.

Despite this, Shaddix maintains he did the right thing. “If saving someone's life, or being paralyzed for the rest of their life, and it requires me to go to jail,” Shaddix said, “absolutely I'll do it again.”