Cops say man was attempting to impersonate authorities but misspelled 'Police' on his Mercedes-Benz
Published on Jul 23, 2025 at 11:43 AM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Jul 23, 2025 at 11:43 AM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
A man in Australia was caught attempting to impersonate authorities because he had misspelled ‘Police’ across the front of his Mercedes-Benz S 350d.
The Mercedes had been outfitted to look like a legit Chinese Police vehicle and had the insignia on the front.
However, officers from Burwood Highway Patrol in New South Wales soon noticed something wasn’t quite right with the car.
The word ‘Police’ was emblazoned across the front, like you might see on the real deal, but it wasn’t spelled right.
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He attempted to impersonate authorities but misspelled ‘police’
Police forces across the world are adding impressive and high-end cars to their fleets, including this C8 Corvette Stingray that won Florida Highway Patrol an award, and this Maserati Quattroporte that’s joined a fleet in Western Australia.
Elsewhere in Australia, on first glance, this kitted-out Mercedes-Benz S 350d looked the part, but take a second look and you’ll see the man who made it has misspelled ‘Police’.
The decal across the front of the Mercedes-Benz S 350d read ‘Poilce’.
Whoops.
The car also had emergency lights and other features that made it look more like a legit police car.
Police tracked down the owner of the vehicle, and when questioned about the vehicle, he allegedly gave a false document stating that the vehicle was being used to transport consulate officials from China.
While searching the car, cops found ammunition in the trunk of the fake police car.
Cops say a subsequent search of his home revealed several firearms, which were confiscated.
According to a statement from the Traffic and Highway Patrol Command, the owner of the car did have a firearms license, but that is now under review following the incident.
He was arrested on multiple charges, including driving a motor vehicle with unlawful police insignia, impersonating a commonwealth public official in act/at place, providing false or misleading information, and possessing an unauthorized prohibited firearm.
Over in the US, police had to intervene due to fake speedbumps
While not quite on the same level as attempting to impersonate authorities, over in Oakland, California, cops had to step in to remove ‘illegal’ speedbumps set up by local residents.
Oakland is known as a bit of a hotspot for gearheads, with regular notorious nightly sideshows.
Some locals soon grew sick of the noise caused by the shows and decided to install some DIY speedbumps to solve the problem.
However, it soon came to light that their solution wasn’t legal and police were forced to remove them.
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Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Claire covers a wide variety of topics, with a special focus on cars, technology, planes, cryptocurrency, and luxury.
