Police Draw Guns On Yankees GM Brian Cashman After Mistaking Him For Car Thief

New York Yankees general manager isn’t with the team this weekend in Toronto. After the events that unfolded on Friday, he probably wishes he’d made that trip. According to the New York Post, a case of mistaken identity led Cashman into a tense encounter with Connecticut police.

Cashman was reportedly surrounded by officers, with guns drawn, after he was confused for a car thief in Connecticut.

It turns out Cashman’s white Jeep Wrangler matched the description of another vehicle police were searching for. Adding to the confusion was the fact Cashman’s jeep had been reported stolen earlier in New York last Saturday. Though the jeep was returned this week, it had not been removed from the stolen vehicle database.

The New York Post report notes that Cashman was driving to the Norwalk Police Department to have his car processed for evidence when the traffic stop took place at a gas station in Darien.

Here’s more from the report:

According to Cashman, Darien cops were already “responding to someone in a white Jeep that was brandishing a gun in a local doctor’s office.”

To make matters worse, when Darien police ran Cashman’s license plates, the vehicle came up stolen because “the NYPD never took me off the stolen car list,” he said.

As Cashman pulled out of the gas station as many as five patrol cars zoned in on him and between six to nine officers got out of their cars with their “guns drawn,” he said.

“They executed a very tactful interception,” Cashman said.

Talk about wrong place, wrong time.

Fortunately, all turned out well. Cashman followed the instructions given to him and was quickly cleared. He was even given an escort to the police station so that he wouldn’t be mistaken again.

“They’re clearly very professional and trained and they asked me to turn my car off, exit the vehicle, walk back towards them…they were executing their duty.”

“The public should take encouragement when someone is in a stolen vehicle they’re not going to get very far,” he added.

“I have high respect for all law enforcement. They do an amazing job whether you’re in Connecticut and New York City — and sometimes unique circumstances can occur.”

Clearly, Cashman held no ill will for the incident. And by day’s end, his car was removed from the “stolen vehicle’s list.”

That means the worst part of his Friday was no doubt watching the Yankees lose 8-2 to the Blue Jays.