This 14-Year-Old Who Impersonated a Cop Is Going to Be Grounded Forever

Since they’re not drinking, doing drugs, or having sex anymore, today’s teens are finding all kinds of creative ways to kill time, from dressing up like bushes to hijacking bulldozers. One such ostensibly bored child in California decided he'd have a little fun by pretending to be a cop—tossing police lights on an SUV, somehow wrangling an official-looking sheriff's uniform, and getting himself into enough trouble to wind up grounded for all eternity.

According to KTLA, the 14-year-old somehow made enough money mowing lawns and walking dogs or whatever to afford all the trappings of a police officer: full uniform, replica firearms, badges, holsters, a bulletproof vest—you name it. He decked himself out like a sheriff's deputy, stuck some red-and-blue emergency lights on his great-grandma's car, and took to the streets of San Bernadino County looking for some imaginary crime to solve.

On Monday, he pulled up to a house with his lights flashing, a walkie-talkie on his chest, and a fake pistol on his hip, and told the folks inside he'd come to investigate a domestic disturbance. Jasmine Jones answered the door, and told him there was nothing wrong—no one had even called the cops. She told KTLA something seemed off about the "officer" who'd come to the door, and—after he ran back to his car and drove away—she called 911.

"I saw the police uniform and I thought, That just doesn’t look right," Jones said. "It’s loose, and the belt buckle isn’t staying on his hips.”

Meanwhile, despite the fact that he's not even old enough to drive, the kid decided to make a traffic stop. He pulled over a woman, asked for her ID, and pretended to run her plates, KABC reports. Apparently wise enough to avoid actually trying to arrest someone, he gave the driver a warning and sent her on her way. After one last stop at some random house—again, for a phony domestic disturbance call—he packed it in for the night.

The next day, a real police officer spotted the white SUV and pulled it over, finding a 77-year-old woman behind the wheel and her 14-year-old great-grandson riding shotgun. He detained the kid while a few detectives searched his home, finding everything he'd used to play sheriff for the night.

According to a police report, he's since been arrested on what must be about a dozen different charges. There's no word on what kind of time he might be facing in juvie—he was already out on probation—but there's probably no sentence on Earth that compares to the grounding he's likely facing once he gets home.

Sign up for our newsletter to get the best of VICE delivered to your inbox daily.

Follow Drew Schwartz on Twitter.

Related: Teen Too Lit at Wedding