A YouTuber known for holding law enforcement accountable saw a suspicious cop in Galveston, Texas, and decided to confront him. The “cop” in question has since been identified and arrested. Allegedly, he was no police officer at all and was instead posing as an ICE agent, illegally detaining two men at the time.
A clip of the confrontation between the two sides was shared by Robbie Harvey on TikTok. The YouTuber in question is similarly-named Robert Harvey, who runs the channel Harvey Freebird. Describing himself as an activist, his channel is devoted to “holding law enforcement accountable.”
The incident in question occurred back on November 9, at around 2:30 a.m. Robert was livestreaming at the time when he noticed an odd-looking police officer detaining two people in the Texas city. The YouTuber told KPRC that the man’s uniform and the lack of a police car were huge red flags.
Robert, alongside Bruce Rebmann, a fellow YouTuber, witnessed the scene and approached the so-called officer. Reportedly, the man told the detainees they were free to go. It is alleged that the “cop” refused to provide his name or a badge number.
In the clip shared by Robbie, the man is shown waving a “badge” of sorts, showing it directly to the camera. He seemed nervous while doing it, pacing back and forth while flashing a very bright light into Robert’s camera.
Identified And Arrested
The faux cop was subsequently identified as 44-year-old Joshua Warner. According to police investigators, Warner identified himself as an ICE agent to the two people he was detaining. He, however, is not a law enforcement agent at all.
More than a month later, as per KPRC, Warner was arrested, and police allegedly found a fake police badge, a fake ID, and a now-seized vehicle that resembled an unmarked police car. He has been charged with two counts of impersonating a public servant, and his bond was set at $500,000.
Users online reacted to the alleged despicable actions of the fake Texas cop. “Unfortunately, this problem is only getting worse,” one user commented. Another one said, “Give these streamers some props.” A third one added, “Since when did they start issuing camo for cops to wear?”
Police now believe more people might have fallen victim to Warner’s alleged deceit. Anyone who believes they might have been unlawfully detained by the Texas man should contact the Galveston Police Department at 409-765-3736.
