Brooklyn man arrested for allegedly impersonating cop, raping woman

BROOKLYN, N.Y. -- Police arrested a Brooklyn man accused of rape and impersonating a cop by threatening a woman with arrest if she did not have sex with him.

Walter Barnes, 47, was taken into custody on Wednesday. He is charged with rape, aggravated sex abuse and criminal impersonation of a police officer.

On Oct. 2 around 6:30 a.m., an 18-year-old woman was walking near Gates Avenue and Broadway to buy cigarettes when a brown 2010 Lexus pulled up to her. Police said the suspect spoke to the victim, then told her he knew where she could get some.

Once in the vehicle, the suspect spoke into a handheld radio using police jargon, making the victim think he was a police officer. The suspect also said he knew the officers inside a marked New York City Police Department van that passed them.

According to the NYPD, the suspect told the victim that if she did not perform a sex act on him, she would be arrested. He then drove her to Aberdeen Street and Bushwick Avenue where he threatened her again; the victim, fearing she would be arrested, reluctantly complied, police said in a statement. She was sexually assaulted, police said.

Eventually, the victim managed to escape the vehicle and run into a building for help.

Records show the suspect is a Level 3 sex offender who was convicted of raping two girls, ages 14 and 17, in October 2001. He was convicted on charges of sexual abuse and rape for hitting and choking the girls. He served four years in prison, and was released in 2006.

Barnes was arraigned Wednesday night in Brooklyn.