Body cam footage shows police arrest man for impersonating officer at strip club
By: Toledo, OH - Police body camera footage shows the arrest of Kristopher Andrew, a 58-year-old man from Michigan, who was charged with impersonating a police officer after he allegedly dressed as one and carried a gun inside a north Toledo strip club.
The minutes before the body cam video starts were fleshed out by a police report gathered at the scene of Bucks Platinum last week.
According to employees of the club, Andrew strolled in on April 3 with body armor, a semi-automatic rifle and Toledo police patches.
At first, they assumed Andrew was there for legitimate reasons, but they couldn't shake the feeling that he looked familiar. So, they scanned his license, and it turned out not only was he someone they knew, he was someone they wanted out of the bar as soon as possible.
"Keep your hands up! Up! On your knees," screamed a police officer at the start of the body cam video as they approached the suspect vehicle.
Once Andrew was in cuffs, the arresting officer went inside the bar to ask questions.
The woman who watched the door told the responding officer that Andrew claimed he was at the club to pick up, but instead of following her to the safe, he went straight to the bar and ordered a drink.
"I was like, why would a police officer in riot gear sit down at the bar with a gun like that? So the manager and I walked up to him, and he was real weird, and he was acting real shaky. I was worried he was going to shoot me," a waitress added.
They told the officer they felt uneasy, so they had asked to see Andrew's ID, and it turned out he was far from the civil servant he pretended to be.
"Did he do anything like this before? He had been here 14 times, he was banned from the club, but I didn't know that until I scanned the ID. I don't know why he was banned because they didn't put the notes in there," one of the managers at the bar told the officer.
They didn't know it at the time, but a police report shows the night manager later told TPD the reason Andrew was banned was because he had threatened to kill one of their dancers online.
The employees then called the police, but the police report clarifies it was a customer who got Andrew out of the bar, asking questions about his age and identity that Andrew couldn't seem to answer.
This led to Andrew stepping outside and TPD pulling him over as he tried to make his escape.
Inside the car, they found an assault rifle, a pistol, body armor and nearly a dozen gas and stun grenades.
Beyond impersonation of a police officer, Andrew was also charged with illegal possession of a firearm in liquor premises and using weapons while intoxicated.
The vehicle he tried to leave in was owned by an Uber driver who has not been charged.
Andrew is due back in Toledo Municipal Court Thursday morning. His bond is set at $20,000.