Woman claimed she was police, attempted to rob 3 people: affidavit

A woman was arrested after she allegedly claimed she was a police officer and attempted to rob three women in West Lake Hills.

23-year-old Evelyn Ibarra-Fernandez has been charged with third-degree felony impersonation of a public servant. 

According to court paperwork, on Feb. 2, around 1:10 p.m., a Travis County Sheriff's deputy responded to Westlake Drive and Trailview Mesa Drive about a reckless driving call.

A woman had called 911 and said she saw a vehicle with a woman in the backseat who appeared to be on drugs and was waiving people down for "help." The call was dropped and no one was able to reach the caller again.

West Lake Hills police also responded to the scene and found two vehicles and two women standing outside them. One of the women was identified as Ibarra-Fernandez, according to the affidavit. Officers also observed Ibarra-Fernandez holding onto the other woman's arm with a "strong grip."

The other woman told officers Ibarra-Fernandez had her belongings, and when officers attempted to retrieve them from her, she "began to become defensive, and the property had to be forceably [sic] removed from her possession," says the affidavit. Officers also spoke to two other women at the scene. The affidavit noted that Ibarra-Fernandez's vehicle was parked at an angle in front of and blocking the other vehicle.

Evelyn Ibarra-Fernandez, 23.

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The three woman told officers that Ibarra-Fernandez had been driving behind them for about a mile while flashing her hazards and honking. They turned into a neighborhood and pulled up to the gate code entry box, says the affidavit.

Ibarra-Fernandez then allegedly pulled in front of their vehicle at an angle, got out and went to one of the women sitting in the backseat. She identified herself as a police officer and pulled the woman by the arm out of the vehicle. She then walked the woman away and took her ID, cell phone and credit card, says the affidavit.

Ibarra-Fernandez then went back to the vehicle and again identified herself as a police officer to the other backseat passenger. The women began asking questions and asking for her to identify herself, but she did not respond and instead began going through their belongings in the backseat, says the affidavit. 

Ibarra-Fernandez allegedly took $840, an ID and credit cards from a small backpack in the backseat and then attempted to open the driver's door and go through her belongings but was refused access. She then left the vehicle and began taking photos of the credit cards and IDs.

West Lake Hills police also requested that she show them the photos, but when they asked to look at her recently deleted photos, she refused and locked the phone, says the affidavit.

Ibarra-Fernandez told the Travis County Sheriff's deputy that she had never identified herself as a police officer and was just trying to help the first woman as she thought she was being "drugged." She also denied ever taking any property from them, says the affidavit.

West Lake HillsCrime and Public Safety