Man Arrested for Impersonating Police Officer

MANHATTAN BEACH — On March 28 at approximately 2:30 p.m., Manhattan Beach police officers were dispatched to the Manhattan Village Mall in regard to two suspicious subjects in the parking lot.

The reporting party described one of the subjects as an Asian male who was representing himself as a Manhattan Beach police officer and soliciting for donations.

When the officers arrived, they contacted two subjects in the parking lot. One of the subjects, later identified as Peter Yanaginuma, admitted to representing himself as a Los Angeles police officer and asking for donations.

An investigation revealed Yanaginuma was not a police officer for either the Manhattan Beach Police Department or Los Angeles Police Department.

Yanaginuma was arrested for narcotic paraphernalia crimes and a probation violation. The second suspect was also arrested for narcotic paraphernalia crimes.

If you gave a donation to Yanaginuma believing he was a police officer, come to the Manhattan Beach Police Department to file a police report or call the dispatch center at (310) 545-4566.