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2 Men Allegedly Abducted Waitress During Dine-And-Dash Gone Wrong
Leonel Lopez-Gonzalez and Fernando Rodriguez are accused of trapping the Miami waitress in a car and threatening her with a beer bottle.
A dine-and-dash took a dramatic turn in Florida after two men who were trying to avoid paying for their meals allegedly kidnapped the waitress that called them out on it.
Leonel Lopez-Gonzalez, 46, and Fernando Rodriguez, 27, now face kidnapping charges after a dramatic incident at La Gran Parada Dominicana in Miami on Monday.
The two men were accused of trying to leave the restaurant without paying the bill, NBC Miami reports. The waitress who served them caught on and followed them out to the parking lot, according to an arrest report obtained by the station.
The bold server then hopped into the driver’s seat with the car door still open and with her feet resting on the pavement in order to prevent the two suspects from leaving, according to that arrest report.
That’s when the situation escalated further.
Rodriguez allegedly grabbed her and brought her all the way into the car while Lopez got into the driver’s seat and drove off. She said she begged and pleaded to be let out, according to the arrest report.
“While inside the vehicle, the victim used her cellular phone to call 911, at which point, Mr. Rodriguez used a beer bottle to restrain and threaten the victim,” the arrest report stated, according to Fox News.
At some point, the waitress bit Rodriquez, according to Fox News. It’s not clear if she was harmed in any way during the incident.
The men were eventually pulled over for a traffic stop. Both have been charged with kidnapping.
Rodriguez faces aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and battery charges in addition to kidnapping.
Both have been denied bond. It’s not clear if either have lawyers who can speak on their behalf at this time.
Investigators wrote that during questioning, “Rodriguez advised he knew it as wrong but he was not physically able to stop Mr. Lopez and pleaded with him to stop the vehicle, yet Mr. Lopez continued to drive." They also noted Lopez did not want to talk without an attorney.
