OCEAN CITY — A Pennsylvania man was arrested last weekend after allegedly falsely identifying himself as a police officer and threatening to shoot a man during a domestic argument between a couple downtown.
Around 1:05 a.m. last Saturday, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officers responded to a motel at 20th Street for a reported assault in progress. The 911 caller reportedly told Ocean City Communications an “undercover cop” had intervened in the assault.
OCPD officers arrived and observed two males fighting and ordered them to separate. One of the males told OCPD officers the suspect, later identified as Daniel Creter, 24, of Stewartstown, Pa., told him he was a police officer and that he was going to put a gun to his head and shoot him, according to police reports.
Creter reportedly told the officers, “I am a police officer,” and “I just arrested him. He is a child molester.” According to police reports, Creter exhibited signs of intoxication. When asked to present his information, Creter reportedly presented a Baltimore County police identification card.
Creter told OCPD officers the victim in the altercation had provided a false name and that he had arrested him back on June 21. Creter told police the victim had been stalking him since the alleged arrest on June 21. When asked how he came into contact with the victim, Creter said he left a downtown bar and was walking back to his unit when he saw the man and tackled him because he had been stalking him, according to police reports. When asked for his driver’s license, Creter refused, and when asked for his full name and date of birth, Creter reportedly told the officers to “shut the [expletive deleted] up.”
The investigation revealed the male victim and his girlfriend were arguing as they walked home from a downtown bar. The female reportedly turned around and said something to Creter, who was walking behind them. The male victim told officers Creter then sprinted at him and tackled him to the ground, calling him a child molester and a rapist. The victim told officers Creter said to him, “I’m a police officer and I’m going to put a bullet in your [expletive deleted] head if you move,” according to police reports. The victim told police Creter had pinned him on the ground for about 30 minutes, according to reports.
OCPD officers interviewed witnesses and were able to obtain a partial video of the incident. The couple was arguing as they walked back from a bar and Creter approached the male in the couple, identified himself as a police officer and told the male to put his hands behind his back, according to police reports. Creter then pinned the victim against a nearby vehicle and tackled him to the ground.
Witnesses reportedly told police Creter held the victim on the ground for about 10 minutes before OCPD officers arrived. When officers arrived, Creter was lying on top of the victim, while the victim was calling for help. Based on the investigation and witness statements, Creter was arrested for second-degree assault and intoxicated endangerment. He was deemed a threat to public safety because of his level of intoxication. Creter mistakenly identified the victim as a prior arrestee, when, in fact, he had never met the victim before. He was also so far impaired that he falsely identified himself as a police officer and detained a citizen whom he had never met.
It’s important to note, Creter during the incident reportedly identified himself at one point as an undercover OCPD officer, but he is not, as never has been, associated with the OCPD.
