By Joe Hughes
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
12:03 p.m. March 23, 2007
SAN DIEGO – The man famous for being the singing police officer in the Village People band was arrested by San Diego police Thursday.

Victor “Macho Man” Willis, 55, was taken into custody on Judicial Drive in University City about 4 a.m., after a woman called police to report a man had choked her, put a knife to her throat and threatened to kill her.

Willis was taken into custody without incident, San Diego police Sgt. Jim Schorr said.

When officers arrived on Judicial Drive, they found Willis in a car and a woman outside. She said she was his girlfriend.

She told officers that Willis had been abusive.

The arrest is nothing new for Willis, who has been in trouble with the law in the past. Last March, San Francisco police pulled over Willis on a routine traffic stop.
At that time, he gave them a fake name and police found rock and powder cocaine in his car. It wasn't until Willis was fingerprinted that police learned they had arrested the performer.

San Diego police didn't have that problem.

“Our officers recognized him,” Schorr said. “We knew we had the cop from Village People.”

Willis was booked into jail on suspicion of assault. The woman was not hurt.