Man tries to lure woman into back alley by impersonating officer, police say

Roberto Ruiz-Montanez.(Holyoke Police Department)
Published: Jul. 5, 2022 at 2:47 PM EDT

HOLYOKE, Mass. (WFSB/Gray News) - A man from Waterbury, Connecticut was arrested by police in Holyoke, Massachusetts for impersonating a police officer, according to WFSB.

Roberto Ruiz-Montanez, 51, was charged with disturbing the peace and impersonating a police officer.

The incident started around 3:15 a.m. on Saturday.

A resident flagged down an officer to report that a man was bothering a woman at a Holyoke address.

Officers who arrived on the scene learned that Ruiz-Montanez had stopped a woman by telling her he was an officer. The woman reportedly told police that the suspect approached her in a threatening manner and tried to get her into a rear alley. She said Ruiz-Montanez tried to convince her that he was an undercover officer.

An unidentified man tried to intercede but Ruiz-Montanez also identified himself as a police officer to him and told the man to leave, according to police. The unidentified male was the one who flagged down the initial officer for help.

Copyright 2022 WFSB via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.