Man impersonating police officer posted photos in uniform on Instagram: affidavit

AUSTIN, Texas - A man accused of impersonating an Austin police officer has been allegedly posting photos of himself in uniform on his social media accounts since July 2020, according to an arrest affidavit.

35-year-old Sean Michael Macdonald of Pflugerville was arrested on Jan. 22 for false identification as a police officer, a Class B misdemeanor.

The arrest affidavit says the investigation began on Jan. 15 when Austin police officers began sharing photos of a person wearing what appeared to be a patrol officer's uniform. The photos had been posted to Instagram and Facebook.

FOX 7 Austin was told Macdonald’s real job was at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in a store. APD Det. Brandon Solis indicated the job did not involve security or law enforcement at ABIA.

The photos also showed a name affixed to the uniform: "Macdonald 6415". It was determined he was not a known and sworn Austin police officer.

The affidavit describes eight photos posted publicly on Instagram, showing the man wearing a navy "Battle Dress Uniform" (BDU) style shirt with official-looking shoulder and badge patches. He was also pictured wearing a fully equipped gun belt with a baton, gun and holster, pepper spray pouch, a double magazine pouch and a Taser.

The photos posted also depicted the interior of an APD patrol car and the in-car computer. Another post showed an Austin police badge covered with a blue-line mourning band and blue ribbon behind it for SPO Jorge Pastore, who had been killed in the line of duty on Nov. 11, 2023 saying, "Rest easy brother, we got it from here."

Uniform stores typically require proof of employment, but former APD Sergeant Wayne Vincent told FOX 7 it’s easy to get police gear online.

"Anytime someone tries to portray themselves as a law enforcement officer, for other than legitimate reasons. It is very offensive to us," said Vincent. 

Detectives were able to identify the suspect in the photos as Macdonald by comparing his driver's license photo to the photos posted, says the affidavit. Detectives also spoke with the officer who had initially become aware of the photos.

That officer discovered he had a common acquaintance with Macdonald, who told him that Macdonald had told them he was an actual police officer. That witness also put police in contact with another person Macdonald was in contact with.

The second witness showed detectives screenshots of texts they had from Macdonald where he claimed he was a police officer, as well as provided photos, including one of a patrol car that had been struck by a drunk driver. The crash involved a real officer in 2019, but Macdonald said it was him while helping a stranded motorist.

Investigators also found an APD report where Macdonald had identified himself to a neighbor as an Austin police officer in a vehicle burglary case. 

Macdonald was also determined to have never held a Texas peace officer license or have even been a cadet for the Austin Police Department.

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Austin police spent the day reaching out to anyone who had contact with Macdonald while in uniform.

"Our message to them is simply that we would like to speak to them in reference to those interactions that they had with him. Whether that be him just presenting himself in a uniform or him actually taking action," said Det. Solis.

There is no evidence, at this time, that Macdonald pulled people over to scam or hurt them. The possibility is something that worries Kevin Lawrence with the Texas Municipal Police Association.

"People will impersonate police officers and go out there and commit kidnaping, sexual assault, murder. So, my biggest fear is for real, for my immediate family. But, you know, for our community, as a whole, as well," said Lawrence.

The call-out to the community by APD, according to Lawrence, is justified.

"I think they're doing exactly what they need to be doing. My guess is that what we've got here is the tip of the iceberg," said Lawrence.

If you question who is pulling you over, Vincent said there are things you can do.

"When in doubt, if you're you're getting pulled over by a single police car that doesn't look right. If you have a cell phone, get on and call 911 to verify before you pull over or go the speed limit and get to a very public area before you call over if you have any doubts," said Vincent.

Vincent had this advice for those who may be thinking about playing cop.

"My message to them is, if you see a crime, report it. There's a big difference between fantasy and reality. And don't live in a fantasy world. Because bad things are going to happen. Let the professionals take care of solving, preventing, and detecting crime," said Vincent.