Angus residents were taken aback when an American patrol car drove through the streets of Forfar and Brechin.
The Chevrolet Impala, which bears the markings of the Sarasota Police Department in Florida, caused a sensation in the Angus cities.
Painted in the traditional black and white colors used on police vehicles in the United States, it has a set of sirens and a radio antenna.
It was first registered in the UK back in 2019, according to DVLA, but it is a 2008 model.
“We were in Sarasota, so we recognized the car.”
Irene Patterson and her husband Brian are among those who saw the vehicle and saw it outside the Panmure Arms Hotel in Edzell, over 4,000 miles from their Florida home.
The couple have vacationed at resorts in the exact same area of the United States for over a decade, so the vehicle was recognized almost immediately.
Brian said, “It was really weird, it was just sitting in front of the hotel.
“We’ve been on vacation to Sarasota regularly for the past 14 years, so we recognized the car but thought it was completely out of place.
“At first we thought it was just a normal police car, but then we took a second look when we got closer and saw all the markings.
Brian and Irene with the car.
“We asked a local shopkeeper, but unfortunately we couldn’t find out who it belongs to.”
Irene added, “I called our friend who lives in Florida. She’s from Jacksonville but has been to Sarasota a lot.
“She actually knows Edzell pretty well because her husband was stationed there on a military base, and she said that maybe someone else who was stationed there never withdrew?”
While the car was parked outside the Panmure Arms for a while, the owners don’t know who the vehicle belongs to.
“I had to take a second look”
Pierre Bernard also spotted the strange vehicle, this time in front of a supermarket in Forfar.
He said, “I had to take a second look when I was pulled into the parking lot.
“I had my two oldest boys, 17 and 14, with me and they both thought the car was cool.
“I’m sure it will turn heads everywhere.”
Both Police Scotland and the Sarasota Police Department have been asked to comment.
