MONROVIA, Calif. — A routine meal at Panda Express turned into an unexpected arrest for Monrovia police officers after a man they had been trying to apprehend walked into the restaurant Wednesday night.
Officers had previously attempted to take the man into custody twice in connection with a parole violation. Both times, he managed to get away by running onto a freeway, according to the Monrovia Police Department.
The third encounter happened while officers were inside a local Panda Express for a meal.
According to the department, the wanted man unexpectedly walked into the restaurant and came within reach of the officers. Body-camera footage released by police shows officers quickly recognizing him, getting up from their seats and moving to take him into custody.
The department shared the encounter on social media with a lighthearted reference to the officers’ interrupted dinner, joking that it may have been good police work, bad timing or simply the smell of chow mein that brought the man into the restaurant.
This time, the arrest was successful. Police said the officers returned to their meal after taking the man into custody.
The incident marks the third time Monrovia officers encountered the man while attempting to arrest him. Unlike the first two encounters, the restaurant meeting ended with him in custody.
The Monrovia Police Department shared body-camera footage of the arrest along with its account of the unusual encounter.
