A false arrest is one way of committing false imprisonment. False imprisonment occurs when one person unlawfully restricts another's freedom of movement.California Penal Code § 236 PC defines false imprisonment as unlawfully restraining, detaining, or confining a person against his or her will. My brother went to purchase a firearm upon background check it came back he had a warrant for his arrest. False arrest occurs when someone makes an arrest, and the facts of the "crime" don't fit the elements in the statute. False arrest is defined as the unlawful restraint of a person's freedom of movement. False arrest requires an arrest, but, false imprisonment only requires unlawful detention. At its most basic, false imprisonment in California is "the unlawful violation of the personal liberty of another. Similar to unlawful detention, falsely arresting you is restraining you without legal justification. False arrest requires an arrest, but, false imprisonment only requires unlawful detention.