A young man who defended workers at a Southern California In-N-Out using just a spatula is being recognized for his bravery. His name is Luca Opperman, and he’s 20 years old.
Opperman gained attention after confronting a woman who was swinging a stick inside a Lake Elsinore In-N-Out. She seemed to be upset over the speed of her burger being prepared.
A former gymnast and a skilled freestyle trampoline athlete, he showcases impressive acrobatics on his Instagram, where many videos display his talents.
In one of his more recent posts, you can see him sliding down a slide and launching into a flip mid-air before landing smoothly in the water. It looks exhilarating, honestly.
When he arrived at the restaurant, he apparently brought some of that agility with him to deal with the situation.
“I just hear banging, super loud banging coming from the inside of the lobby,” he recounted. “I look up and see this lady smashing what looked like a baseball bat.”
A witness described how Opperman exited his car and leaped through a window like a superhero—it sounds dramatic and impressive.
Opperman felt compelled to intervene upon hearing the chaos inside. He quickly grabbed a spatula to confront the woman, who was armed with a large, sharpened stick.
“I’m holding the spatula, wielding my spatula and yelling at her, ‘Get out of here! Get out of here!’” he shared. Unfortunately, the woman continued to swing her stick at him.
Deciding to take matters into his own hands, Opperman made a move to disarm her, while employees were understandably taking cover in the back room.
“That’s when you see me go in with the shoulder drop,” he explained. “I checked her. I grabbed the stick. It was massive, and one end was sharp.”
In the end, he successfully took the stick from her and ended the confrontation. The police later apprehended the woman.
Thankfully, there were no injuries reported, and Opperman is being praised as a hero. “If I didn’t step in right there and then, I knew that somebody would have gotten hurt,” he remarked.
He’s receiving numerous compliments online, with some even dubbing him the “In-N-Out slayer.” Others are cheering him on, expressing gratitude for his quick action. One witness even suggested the restaurant should give him “burgers for life.”
