An animal control officer was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of impersonating a Culver City police officer at the scene of a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department traffic stop.
The unusual series of events unfolded after the driver of a red Ford Mustang was pulled over by deputies in Windsor Hills due to several traffic violations, the LASD told NBC4 Investigates. The Mustang appeared to have been following a dark sedan.
During the stop, deputies said a man who was driving the sedan drove away, but returned, “frantically” ran into the middle of the street and identified himself as an off-duty Culver City Police officer, the LASD said. The Mustang driver yelled at the man and told him everything was ok, authorities said.
Deputies later determined the 34-year-old man was actually a Culver City Animal Control Officer. He was arrested and booked at the Marina Del Rey Station, then cited and released to the Culver City Police Department, which will investigate.