Comedian Paul Rodriguez faces fresh allegations of narcotics possession after being arrested on similar charges less than five months ago in the same city.
Burbank police arrested the 70-year-old โBlood Workโ and โRat Raceโ actor around 8:30 p.m. Monday at a parking structure in the cityโs downtown area, police Sgt. Stephen Turner confirmed to The Times on Thursday. Rodriguez was booked later at Burbank City Jail on suspicion of misdemeanor narcotics possession.
He was released early Tuesday morning with a citation and is due in court Sept. 5. A legal representative for Rodriguez did not immediately respond to The Timesโ request for comment Thursday.
Police showed up at the parking structure for a welfare check after a witness voiced concern about a man and woman leaving a restaurant in the area. According to Turner, the witness told police the woman and the man, later identified as Rodriguez, were โunder the influence and not alert.โ Officers located people who matched the witnessโ description in a vehicle in the structure. Rodriguez was in the driverโs seat and a woman was in the front passenger seat.
โThe investigation led to the discovery of alprazolam [Xanax] and heroin inside of the femaleโs personal bag,โ Turner said, adding that the woman was arrested on suspicion of drug possession.
Officers also allegedly found Xanax and โsuspected fentanylโ in Rodriguezโs vehicle. The actor said the drugs werenโt his, Turner said.
The details of Rodriguezโs arrest Monday echo those from his previous arrest in Burbank in March. The โA Million Little Thingsโ actor was arrested after police allegedly found narcotics in his vehicle during a traffic stop.
Rodriguez disputed law enforcementโs recounting of the incident, telling TMZ in March that he was sleeping in the passenger seat when a โCaucasianโ officer on a โpower tripโ slapped him to wake him up. Rodriguez told the outlet that the drugs belonged to the person who was driving.
At the time, Rodriguezโs attorney Bobby Samini called the charges against his client false and said the comicโs arrest and treatment by police were a โviolation of his civil rights.โ
โHe fully cooperated with law enforcement at all times,โ Samini said in March. โLaw enforcement asserted that the driver of the vehicle was in possession of a controlled substance. Mr. Rodriguez did not have any controlled substance in his possession, nor was he under the influence of any controlled substance.โ
Rodriguez, who was born in Mexico and raised in East Los Angeles, began his career at L.A. comedy clubs in the late 1970s and has written and starred in numerous comedy specials. His rรฉsumรฉ also includes hosting gigs for Univision and MTV programs and roles in films โMade in America,โ โTortilla Soupโ and โThe Worldโs Fastest Indian.โ
Times senior Sacramento reporter Taryn Luna contributed to this article.