With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here .
Reports of a Police Impersonator In West Hollywood Were Greatly Exaggerated
Photo by @dino101 via Twitter
We hate to break it to you like this, but there was not a car full of police impersonators roving around West Hollywood this afternoon.
Los Angeles police got a call that a driver was pretending to be a police officer near Santa Monica and Fairfax around 4:25pm. LAPD booted the call over to the West Hollywood sheriff's station when the alleged impersonator crossed municipal boundaries. By the time sheriff's deputies pulled over the car and cuffed the alleged suspects, they were in front of The Abbey in West Hollywood. If the car had been full of the kind of police impersonators you expect to see in West Hollywood, it would have been a great stunt for aspiring reality TV stars.
Alas, there were no uniforms, no cuffs, just five women who managed to piss off another driver. WeHo Daily first tweeted about the call , and fortunately Australian drag queen Courtney Act was live on the scene to interview the women after they were arrested and released, "ok I got the story from the Lesbians mouth! They were playing a song with loud sirens in it and they got arrested for [impersonating] police officers."
The LAPD confirmed that no one was actually impersonating a police officer. "I think it was just some sort of motorist being annoyed," LAPD Officer Karen Rayner told LAist.com.
Sponsored message
Act said she snapped this photo with the women after they were released:
Photo by
@courtneyact
via Twitter
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
