Man accused of impersonating police officer and hitting potential burglary suspect with gun arrested

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana (BRPROUD) – Baton Rouge police arrested a man accused of impersonating a police officer on Wednesday, September 25.

James Bell Jr., 51, was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Jail and charged with aggravated assault and improper use of public authority.

On September 6, Bell arrested a possible burglary suspect who attempted to steal from a school in the 5800 block of Packard Street, according to Baton Rouge police.

The burglary suspect accused Bell of hitting him in the head with a gun. Police said Bell also identified himself to BRPD as a reserve police officer from a local police department.

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Police say investigators believe Bell struck the suspect and have also determined he was not an active reserve police officer. The investigation is ongoing.

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