CALERA, Alabama -- Calera Police Chief Sean Lemley said today that evangelist Matt Pitt flashed blue lights on Interstate 65, pulling people over, then sped around them before he was pulled over.

"We had a witness who had been following the vehicle and stayed on the phone with us," Lemley said. "He was activating the blue lights. You're portraying yourself as a law enforcement officer when you do that."

Pitt, 28, founder of The Basement youth ministry, then flashed a badge and claimed to be a Jefferson County deputy, Lemley said.

He was arrested and charged with impersonating a peace officer.

The sport utility vehicle that Pitt was driving was equipped with flashing blue lights on the front and back windows, in the grill and in the fog lights, Lemley said.

It's not illegal to have blue lights, Lemley said. "Not until you activate them," he said. "Once you get out on the roadway, it becomes illegal."

The witness who followed Pitt saw flashing blue lights behind him and pulled over to the shoulder, thinking he was being pulled over by police, Lemley said. "He put the blue lights off and went around him," Lemley said. After the vehicle with blue lights passed him, the witness followed and saw the driver flash the blue lights again and force other cars to pull over, also passing them by. "He witnessed him do that several times," Lemley said.

The witness stayed behind Pitt until police were able to pull him over, Lemley said.

The vehicle Pitt was driving was impounded and kept as evidence as part of the investigation, Lemley said.

Pitt was arrested Saturday and charged with impersonating a peace officer. He was released the same day after posting a $10,000 bond. Calera police issued the following summary today:

"At 11:57 p.m. the Calera police department received a complaint about an unmarked Tahoe on I-65 pulling behind traffic and activating emergency flashing blue lights," the statment said. "The complainant said that once traffic began to pull over the SUV would turn off the blue lights and speed around the traffic and that the vehicle had done this several times. Calera police officers stopped the suspect vehicle on I-65 in Calera. When officers approached the vehicle Larry Pitt held up his wallet displaying a badge and photo ID card. Officers asked Pitt if he was an officer and he stated he was a deputy with Jefferson County Sheriff's Office. The vehicle Larry Pitt was driving was not registered to any government agency, but was equipped with multiple working LED flashing blue lights in the fog lights, grill, front windshield and back window. The vehicle was also equipped with a working audible emergency siren. It was verified that Pitt was not a certified law enforcement officer. Pitt was arrested on scene for impersonating a peace officer and transported to the Shelby County Jail." Pitt's full name is Larry Matthew Pitt.

Pitt said in an interview Wednesday night that the vehicle he was driving was owned by a friend and had been used for events at The Basement, a youth ministry he founded, to simulate a police car. It was part of the ministry's outreach to youth to steer them away from crime, he said.

Pitt said the card he had in his wallet was given to him by the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department to honor him for helping youth stay out of crime. "I was named an Alabama Difference Maker, and they thanked me and said, 'We're proud of you for getting kids off the street,'" Pitt told The Birmingham News. "It's not a badge, but they started asking me, 'Are you a cop?'"

After the interview, Pitt later said his attorneys advised him not to comment further.

Impersonating a peace officer is a Class C felony, said Shelby County District Attorney Robby Owens. With a conviction, the penalty could include a fine and prison sentence of one to 10 years.

It's an unusual charge, Owens said. "We rarely charge that," he said. "We've had less than a half dozen in the last 10 years."