SAN ANTONIO — A violent confrontation caught on camera this week has sparked questions over potential law enforcement impersonation.
Officials with the San Antonio Police Department confirmed to KENS 5 they're searching for the man who can be seen grabbing the phone of a driver filming him, after implying he's an off-duty cop.
The driver behind the camera is Aaron Henderson, who says the man was tailing him when he moved over for him to pass. Henderson says the man instead got closer, and almost forced him into a curb.
Henderson said the man flashed what appeared to be a police badge. After that, the father started to record, making sure to get the car's license plate.
"This situation was uncalled for," he said.
Henderson said that, from what he could tell, the badge appeared real.
"This is a gold badge with a blue inlay," he said.
Henderson said he followed the man into a parking lot, and that's when the two had an exchange. The following is what can be heard in the cell phone video provided by Henderson:
Man: "You got a problem?"
Aaron: "Wondering why you flashed the badge at me? You are obviously off- duty."
Man: "It doesn't matter if I am off-duty. I am on duty 24 hours a day."
In the video, the stranger can be seen grabbing at Henderson's phone, at which point Henderson says he also grabbed his hand.
In the video, Henderson can be heard saying: "No, you do not grab my (expletive) phone."
Henderson then called 911, at which point the man took off.
SAPD confirmed the details of the incident, calling the man who confronted Henderson "a possible suspect" and saying he is not with the force.
"It is unknown if the suspect is actually employed by a law enforcement agency, or even if the badge shown was a real law enforcement badge," SAPD's statement reads. "No SAPD officers, on- or off-duty, were involved in this incident."
Henderson said what happened is not right.
"(If) it has happened to me, then how many other people has it happened to?" he said.
SAPD says the investigation is ongoing.