On March 16, a man in Washington state was detained for masquerading as an immigration officer after his vehicle, adorned with unauthorized "ICE" decals, raised concerns at a local Ukrainian market. FOX 13 Seattle reported that the 26-year-old suspect was accused of impersonating a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, driving around the parking lot of the Emish Market in Fife, Washington. The described vehicle was a black 2019 Ford SUV, which was previously a "police interceptor."
The Fife Police Department received a 911 call about the suspicious vehicle, where witnesses noted that the suspects were filming employees and patrons at the market, creating a sense of disquiet among them. According to the Fifice, the vehicle bore emblems that misrepresented it as an active ICE unit.
In coordination with the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations Seattle field offices, the Fife Police Department's Criminal Investigation Division initiated a probe into the incident. The SUV was later recognized as an old patrol car by Tukwila Police, auctioned off to a private owner once it was deemed a "total loss" by an insurance company, KOKH FOX 25 and ABC 6 confirmed.
Law enforcement agencies, after receiving tips from the public and information gathered by the Tukwila Police, managed to identify the suspect as Ilya P. Kukhar, a 26-year-old Washington resident. The Department of Homeland Security also verified that the vehicle in question was not an authorized unit. Kukhar, not connected to any official law enforcement agency, was subsequently charged with criminal impersonation in the second degree.
