Police in Los Angeles say they have arrested a man suspected of robbing five people after flashing a badge and claiming to be a plainclothes cop.

Police said in a news release Friday that the district attorney's office has filed multiple robbery counts against 41-year-old George Turegano.

Investigators believe Turegano approached his victims with a phony badge hanging from his neck. They say he claimed to be a police officer, performed pat-down searches and sometimes handcuffed the victims and searched their vehicles.

They say he then took their money and fled in a Chevy Suburban.

All five of the robberies took place southwest of downtown Los Angeles in June and July.