Thursday, April 9, 1998 | 9:04 a.m.
Michael, 34, was alone in the restroom at the public park on Sunset Boulevard across from the Beverly Hills Hotel when an undercover officer saw him allegedly commit the act Tuesday evening, police said.
"I can't go into details of the lewd act," Lt. Edward Kreins said Wednesday. He declined to say what Michael allegedly was doing and refused to release the police report.
Michael did not proposition the officer, Kreins said. He was arrested and handcuffed outside the park, which is about a mile from his home.
The singer, who was born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou, was booked for investigation of misdemeanor lewd conduct and released after posting $500 bail. Arraignment was set for May 5.
Kreins said the lewd activity law may involve a range of actions but exposure is usually not covered under the statute.
Michael was not immediately recognized by police. He gave the arresting officer his birth name, Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou, and only later supplied his stage name and said he was a singer, Kreins said.
The fact that he is a celebrity was not a factor in keeping details secret, Kreins said.
"It's not our job to say what he (Michael) was specifically doing, how he was doing it," Kreins said. "If these facts come out in court or in any other way, that's fine."
Kreins said there had been previous complaints of lewd conduct at the park, prompting increased police presence. On the day of Michael's arrest, another man was arrested for investigation of lewd conduct at the same restroom in an unrelated incident, he said.
Kreins contended the park is not a hangout. Of the 21 lewd-conduct arrests in Beverly Hills last year, only two were at the park, according to Kreins.
A call left for Andy Stevens, Michael's manager in London, was not immediately returned. His publicity agency, Connie Filippello Publicity in London, declined immediate comment.
Michael was one of Princess Diana's favorite singers and attended her funeral in September.
He and Andrew Ridgeley shot to stardom in the 1980s as the duo Wham! Their hits included "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" and "Careless Whisper."
After the duo split up in 1986, Michael went solo. His debut solo album, "Faith," sold more than 10 million copies and won a 1988 Grammy for album of the year. A 1987 single, "I Want Your Sex," topped the charts even though many U.S. radio stations refused to air it. The song also was used on the soundtrack of the film "Beverly Hills Cop II."
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