A California man, who was wanted and had previously escaped officers twice by darting onto a freeway, seemed to hit a stroke of bad luck when he strolled into a Panda Express where the same officers were enjoying their lunch, according to police reports.
It was a surprising twist after two escapes. Officers from the Monrovia Police Department recognized him immediately and arrested him, which wrapped up a month-long pursuit due to a no-bail felony probation warrant.
Body camera footage captured the moment two officers, caught off-guard at the restaurant, quickly responded to take the suspect—whose name hasn’t been disclosed—into custody.
The man was wanted due to a violation related to his probation, and this particular incident took place on July 17, although the arrest video was just shared recently.
In the footage, the suspect can be heard asking, “What did I do?” A responding officer quickly set the record straight, explaining, “You’ve been wanted. You’ve been running from me for like a month.”
Previously, attempts to apprehend the man during two separate occasions had failed when he bolted onto the freeway, but this time the tables turned during a casual lunch break at Panda Express. The police remarked humorously, “We’re not sure if it was good police work, bad timing, or the irresistible smell of chow mein,” but regardless, an arrest was made.
Interestingly enough, the officers didn’t seem to let the arrest interfere with their meal. The department added, “And don’t worry, the officers went back for their food and finished their chow mein. Priorities.”
The Monrovia Police Department provided this update through a social media post and accompanied video, declaring it their official statement on the matter and noted that no further information would be released at this stage.
