The restroom where George Michael was arrested

Arrest Location in Beverly Hills, California

This is the public restroom where English singer George Michael was arrested.

It is located at 9650 Sunset Boulevard in Beverly Hills, California.

On April 7th, 1998, Michael was arrested at this location for "engaging in a lewd act" after he exposed himself to a police officer.

That day, a crime suppression unit from the Beverly Hills Police Department was performing a sweep of the park due to recent complaints about lewd conduct.

At the time, Will Rogers Memorial Park was reportedly listed on the Internet as a place where gay men could meet up and have anonymous sex—an act that is often referred to as "cruising" or "cottaging."

Shortly before 5 p.m., undercover officer Marcelo Rodríguez walked into the restroom and encountered Michael.

When the singer saw Rodríguez, he partially disrobed and exposed himself.

Following the incident, Rodríguez walked out, leaving the former "Wham!" star by himself. Michael was arrested moments later after he exited the restroom and attempted to get into his car.

After pleading "no contest" to a charge of lewd conduct, he was fined $810 and sentenced to 80 hours of community service.

The arrest was a huge turning point in the star's life, as it forced him to come out of the closet. Up until that point, he had kept his homosexuality a secret.

Afterwards, he claimed that the police officer had flashed him first and that it was a case of entrapment. However, the BHPD denied this.

Michael satirized the incident in the music video for his single, "Outside," which was released six months later. The video featured two male police officers kissing, as well as other references to the police and homosexuality.

Rodríguez, who made the arrest, claimed that the music video mocked him and caused him emotional distress. Although he attempted to sue the singer, the case was eventually dismissed after a judge ruled that the officer's role as a public official meant that he was exempt from recovering such damages.

During an interview in 2007, Michael stated that being closeted had made him feel like a fraud and that the incident at Will Rogers Memorial Park may have been a "subconsciously deliberate act."

George Michael arrest location

The address and the GPS coordinates for this location are as follows:

Address

9650 Sunset Boulevard, Beverly Hills, California, CA 90210, USA

Map

To view directions on how to get there, you can use the Google Maps shortcut below:

Google Maps

GPS coordinates

The latitude and longitude coordinates for the restroom are:

34.080116, -118.412935

Directions

The park lies across the street from the Beverly Hills Hotel. The restroom is situated on the southern side of the park, about 300 feet east of the intersection between Sunset Boulevard and North Canon Drive.