The Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department is investigating a carjacking outside of Turlock in which the culprits donned police uniforms.

The victim of the carjacking, an adult male, was not injured in the encounter, but authorities have reason to believe that one of the suspects was armed.

The incident was reported to the sheriff’s department at 5:20 a.m. Tuesday in the 3800 block of S. Moffett Road, just outside of Turlock.

The victim told the deputies he was driving to work southbound on Moffett and passed a dark-colored Ford Crown Victoria headed in the opposite direction.

The driver of the Ford Crown Victoria made a U-turn and began to follow the victim.

The victim said he saw red and blue lights coming from the vehicle and believed it was a police car. He stopped when he saw the lights and he heard two males order him to get out of his car with his hands up and to lie face down on the ground.

The victim told the deputies he did as instructed and one of the males began to search him. The victim felt what he believed to be a handgun at the back of his head and he did not move, according to the sheriff’s department. The second male searched his vehicle and then drove away southbound on S. Moffett Road in his truck. The second male fled in the Ford Crown Victoria. 

While deputies were conducting their investigation they also learned that minutes before the victim had been stopped; a homeowner on Faith Home Road just a few miles away had encountered two men on his property. When he asked them what they were doing they told him they were police officers and that he needed to go back inside of his residence. The two men fled in their vehicle. It is not known at this time if there is any relationship between the two incidents. 

The sheriff’s department is asking the community to report suspicious vehicles that appear to be old police cars. These types of cars are sold at auctions and typically have spotlights still attached to them. The red and blue lights described in this specific incident are most likely after-market components attached to the vehicle, the sheriff’s department reported. 

If you have any tips, you can leave an anonymous tip by calling Crime Stoppers at 521-4636. Tipsters can also e-mail tips at http://www.modestopolice.com/CrimeStoppers, or text them to CRIMES (274637) by typing "Tip704" plus the message and be eligible for a cash reward.