Brooklyn Man Charged in Montauk With Impersonating Police Officer

Responding to a report of 2015 Dodge Charger with flashing emergency red and white lights forcing cars off the road in Montauk on Sunday afternoon, East Hampton Town police arrested a Brooklyn man, Krishna L. Parihar, on charges of impersonating an officer, criminal possession of a weapon, and possession of an illegal ammunition loading device.

Police said that after Mr. Parihar, 24, was pulled over on Montauk Highway just west of town, he identified himself as a New York City Police Department officer. He was wearing a phony badge and an empty holster when stopped, police said. They reported finding a loaded 9-millimeter handgun on the driver's seat floor. He was also carrying handcuffs and handcuff keys, police said. His car had North Carolina plates. The impersonation and weapons possession charges are felonies. The other charge is a misdemeanor.

He was held overnight and arraigned in East Hampton Town Justice Court Tuesday morning. The district attorney's office had recommended bail be set at $50,000.

In requesting a lower bail amount, Mr. Parihar's attorney for the arraignment, Sheila Giuffrida, told Justice Lisa R. Rana that Mr. Parihar is a student at Westbury College, about to begin his third year of school, and a sales representative for Verizon and has never been in trouble with the law. "These are very serious charges, very concerning charges," Justice Rana said, and set bail at the amount requested by the district attorney's office.