ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. --
One of the country's most famous motocross racers is facing charges Tuesday. He is accused of impersonating a police officer when he allegedly pulled over a vehicle that had two Florida troopers and an Osceola County deputy inside.
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Superstar motocross rider, 25-year-old James " Bubba" Stewart Jr., bonded out of the Orange County jail overnight. His truck is being kept at the Florida Highway Patrol's (FHP) headquarters impound lot.
The truck Stewart Jr. was driving was a dead giveaway that he wasn't an officer, and investigators said they don't know why he would try to impersonate one.
Just days after he competed in a huge event in Canada, Stewart Jr. allegedly targeted three men in a car, activated his blue and red dash lights, and pulled them over in a fake traffic stop on State Road 417. Police said the incident happened at about 4:50pm on Monday.
Troopers said they are baffled by Stewart Jr.'s actions, saying he was driving a tricked-out off-road truck when he activated a blue and red dash light. The off-duty officers said they immediately suspected something was strange, but pulled over anyway.
"As he pulls off the road to comply with this truck trying to stop him, the truck suddenly pulls up beside him, the passenger of the truck yells something to the trooper that's driving and that's when the trooper identifies himself as a police officer," said Sgt. Kim Montes of the Florida Highway Patrol.
Investigators said that's when Stewart Jr. fled the scene, but was followed to Orlando-International Airport where he and his passenger, 44-year-old Thames Jehrrod Quinault, from California, were arrested.
Investigators said Quinault was leaving on a flight and tried to hide the police lights in his luggage.
Stewart Jr. told troopers he'd purchased the light system at a flea market. Both the vehicle and the lights were confiscated. Officers said they did get a confession out of Stewart.
Troopers said because the truck was used in the commission of a felony, its likely Stewart Jr. will never get it back.
Stewart Jr. has made millions of dollars on the "Supercross" series, which has been compared to the NASCAR of motocross racing. He has his own website and TV show on the cable channel "Fuel."
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