Three teenagers accused of impersonating police have been arrested after Spokane County sheriff’s deputies tracked them down after a fake traffic stop.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, a woman told deputies that she was driving on the Newport Highway about 1:15 a.m. Monday with her husband asleep in the passenger seat when a car with high beams and flashing red and blue lights pulled her over.

She became suspicious when one of the teenage boys approached the car. She rolled up her window and the boy drove away, but not before she got his license plate number.

When deputies investigated, they said they found out that the trio had done the same thing two other times. Once, one of the boys had threatened a carload of teenagers with an Airsoft pistol, which is a plastic pellet gun.

“The danger is they look like a real pistol,” said Sgt. Dave Reagan.

The teens told deputies that they were stopping people to warn them about traffic violations. Deputies told them they were under arrest.

Aleksey Lysenko, 18, of 15319 N. Chesapeake, and 14- and 17-year-old brothers were arrested on charges of second-degree criminal impersonation.

The charge is a gross misdemeanor, so even if they are convicted, they still could become law enforcement officers in Washington state, said Reagan.

“Of course, this activity did show an extreme lack of judgment,” he added.