Man Arrested on Suspicion of Impersonating an Officer

A 32-year-old San Diego man was arrested Thursday by El Cajon detectives on suspicion of impersonating a police officer.

George Theodore Kostas, who police said had been implicated in a theft, allegedly drove a car equipped with an emergency light bar, had several police identification cards and badges, and carried a loaded gun.

Kostas was booked into County Jail on suspicion of grand theft, fraudulent impersonation of a peace officer, filing false affidavits, and possession of a loaded firearm in a city area, an El Cajon Police Department spokeswoman said late Friday.

The spokeswoman said El Cajon detectives at first linked Kostas to a theft of an appliance.

But further investigation showed he also had fraudulent “peace-officer-type identifications, including identification cards and badges,” the spokeswoman said.

In addition, the detectives discovered that Kostas drove a Ford sedan equipped with California exempt license plates, bogus California state seals on the doors, police radio equipment and a red light bar on the roof, the spokeswoman said.

El Cajon authorities were unable to locate Kostas, so they issued an all-points bulletin for his arrest. He was taken into custody by Harbor Police after one of its officers spotted the car in the Lindbergh Field parking lot.

When he was arrested, Kostas was carrying a loaded .38-caliber revolver, the spokeswoman said.