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A Maryland police officer happens upon a van with flashing red and blue lights that's covered with police markings. As the officer activates his own red and blue lights, he has no idea he's about to conduct the strangest [music] traffic stop of his life. >> I've just pulled over a van that is advertising itself as police with red and blue flashing lights. Can you run Maryland 5? >> Hands up. Get your hands on the steering wheel. Put your hands on the steering wheel. All right, you're being audio and visual recorded. Why do you have a weapon in this vehicle? >> No. >> Why are you advertising yourself as police? Why are you advertising your yourself as a police vehicle? Give me the keys. Do not reach for anything else than I what I tell you to. Give me the keys. Are you a police officer? >> I was. >> But you're not anymore? But you are not a police officer. >> I was. >> But you're you've got red and blue flashing lights on a van that says church vehicle. >> oh, oh. Sorry. >> You were you were using your red and blue so you have police marked all over this vehicle. >> Yeah, it is. >> Why? >> I work with the Secretary of State, Maryland Secretary of State. I'm the Spanish liaison. >> Okay. >> And we are Gekko 1502. You know who is Gekko 1502? 1502? >> Put your hands out the window. Put your hands out the window for me. >> You make a big mistake. >> Open Open this door. >> You make a big mistake. >> Okay, first time. >> Take your Take your seat belt off. >> Sure. >> Take your seat belt off. Step out of this car. Face away from me. >> Oh my god. >> Face away from me. Face away from >> I just come from the bank. Just come from the bank. >> All right, put your hands behind your back. >> Behind my back? >> Yes, sir. >> What are you doing with this? >> Because you have a what appears to be a weapon on you. Don't resist me. Don't resist me. >> It is a >> Don't resist me, sir. >> Oh my god. You make a big mistake. I swear I was going to the >> Yeah, you make a big mistake. >> It's a tear gas. >> 315. I've got a weapon to my side. >> gas. >> All right. >> And this my >> appears to be a weapon. I'm about to get it off of you now. >> It's a tear gas. >> All right, stop talking till I tell you to talk, sir. >> You need your back up, priority. >> I've got a weapon to my side. >> Securing a weapon. >> You're at >> You make a big mistake. Can you open my trunk right there in my car? >> All right. >> Are you going to open You want to see what I got in there? >> Stop talking, please. >> Okay. >> I got to read it to you again in a second here. >> Just relax. I'm the director for Faith in Blue. Relax. Body worn out. >> Yeah, I don't need you to narrate everything. Have a seat. >> Okay. Tear gas? >> Oh my god. I know who he is. He's got >> So he's he's he's got his >> What are you doing? >> He's got his red and blues on with a weapon. >> Jeez. >> I tried to explain to the officer who I doing. >> All right. And I asked you if you had a weapon on you, you said no. I get you out of the car. >> You said tear gas, man. >> It's a weapon. I asked you if you had any weapons. I also pulled two knives off of you. And you had your red and blues on and you marked police in here. >> We are HAPCOA. >> You're not a police officer. >> The suspect is referenced being a member of HAPCOA Faith and Blue. HAPCOA is the Hispanic American Police Command Officers Association, the oldest [music] and largest association in the United States of Hispanic American command officers. The organization actively supports the Faith and Blue initiative, which focuses on uniting police with communities through the connections of local faith-based organizations. While there's much more than meets the eye to the suspect's true identity, officers first focus on investigating his strange belongings. >> You know what we doing? >> You don't need to speak to me. I haven't advised you of your rights yet, okay? So you've been detained. >> Okay. >> Who else is coming with us? >> Just me. >> You want to write something? >> What's that? >> So you can give me the receipt and then >> I mean, if you can find a serial number on there. So let me let me get a picture of everything that I took off of you. >> Okay. And then we go? >> Yeah. >> Okay. You got to sign these things actually. Uh believe something. Yeah, thanks a lot. >> It's your gun? It's your gun? >> 315, uh, can I just get a supervisor to my stop, please? Where's your driver's license, sir? >> It's in my back. >> In your back pocket, okay. I wasn't going to mess with that. I don't know how you operate that. Getting out of the car. Oops. >> How's your family >> They were all good. They were all good. Have you seen Mike lately? >> Yeah. I I talked to him, you know. >> Do you understand how this would draw my attention with your flashing red and blue lights? >> Listen, okay. >> And when I ask you if you have any weapons on you, >> I I don't have >> you said no. >> I don't consider that weapon. It's a Taser. >> A knife isn't a weapon? Two knives aren't weapons? A Taser gun isn't a weapon? You said you were a cop? You said you were a police officer, but you don't consider a knife a weapon. >> Not that kind of stuff. I mean, everybody have a knife. >> I don't know where You must have been a cop in Candyland, dude. I don't know. You must have had it easy. Were you a police officer here in the United States? >> I worked in Baltimore City. I have over 25 years, okay, as a Spanish Portuguese, native, with Baltimore City. >> As a sworn police officer. >> No, no, no. Um >> There we go. >> Yeah, yeah. >> How do we break this open? >> Uh the cartridge is open in the back. >> Open the back? >> Right here, yeah. >> So, I should that back. >> Yeah, and you push a little bit and that thing you just have to move it. I mean for a long time I even don't use it. I mean >> Is this loaded? >> It's loaded, but I mean this is only tear gas. Tear gas right there. >> So, how do I How do I unload it? How do I make this safe? >> Just push it. >> Push what? >> The trigger. Pull the trigger. >> You want me to pull the trigger? >> Yes, pull the trigger. And that thing is coming out. Yeah, really. I mean this >> You want me to pull the trigger on what appears to be a firearm. >> It It's just moving and that's the moon cartridge. We keep in the tear gas right there. >> Yeah, I'm not doing that. Wait, you don't have to like register this, do you? >> No. >> Okay. >> It's a tear gas. It's like if you got it in your car with tear gas, you you got to register >> Nope, nope, nope, stop. >> No, but that's that that's what you do with this. This is my gun. >> Okay. Now, I'm going to flip it back over to what I was trying to do. >> Oh, but that's something they give me the police for front of me. >> Okay. >> It has nothing to do with anything. >> Except it says national police on it. >> They give me the holder. >> I got it. I I understood that. 305, I'm sorry. I may have missed it. Was there a supervisor coming out here? >> Yes, sir. >> Sir? >> We can go off mic. Uh yeah, we can go off tactical for conversation. >> Police reports indicate that further inspection of the suspect's pistol revealed that it was stamped with the words toy gun and that it was likely a cap gun. Officers were able to remove the magazine which revealed what appeared to be caps. Some notable items recovered from the suspect's van were a uniform shirt with Hapco police written on On back, a pistol-style black taser, a baton with a holster, a trifold wallet with a Baltimore City Police badge, and a Baltimore City Police Spanish and Portuguese Liaison ID card, handcuffs, a baseball hat with Policia Nacional embroidered on it, a police uniform shirt with a name plate for Alex Zunka, Liaison, and a blue anti-ballistic vest with an American flag patch on it. The suspect was identified as 67-year-old Alejandro aka Alex Zunka. He is the national board ambassador of Hapkoa, who also directs humanitarian efforts in Latin America on behalf of the Faith and Blue initiative. His presence in both organizations is well known, with him even being recognized and awarded Hapkoa's bronze medal of community service in 2024. Despite his prominent work in the organizations, police reports indicate he, himself, admitted to never being a sworn police officer in the state of Maryland. Zunka was arrested [music] and transported to jail following the traffic stop and cited for prohibited use of a flashing light, driving a vehicle while displaying a flashing light, driving on the highway with a visible blue device, and flashing lights on an unauthorized vehicle. He was additionally charged with impersonating a police officer. During this case's trial, the official Hapkoa director, Anthony Chapa, was contacted. that Hapkoa does not have an official uniform, nor do they issue police-style [music] badges to its members. According to court records, Zunka entered into a plea agreement where he pleaded guilty to driving on a highway with a visible blue device while all other charges were dropped. He was ordered to remove the words police [music] and any blue emergency lights from his van. His confiscated counterfeit badges, uniforms, and paraphernalia were also not returned to him. Both Hapkoa and Faith in Blue have since not provided any public comment on Zunka's arrest or whether his affiliation with either one has been terminated.

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