The comedian and actor Paul Rodriguez has been arrested at a restaurant in Burbank, California, after police allegedly found drugs in his car.
Paul Rodriguez was arrested on Monday after officers searched the vehicle and allegedly found Xanax, as well as what they suspected was fentanyl, police told NBC4 Los Angeles.
Police said Paul Rodriguez denied that the drugs reportedly discovered during his latest arrest belonged to him.
This comes after the 70-year-old comic was arrested in March for drug possession, though he also denied at the time that the drugs belonged to him.
Officers arrived at the scene of an Islands restaurant in the LA County city after they were reportedly called to make a welfare check on a woman accompanying Rodriguez.
According to police, Paul Rodriguez and the woman were driving away from the restaurant when they arrived, but they allegedly stopped to speak with officers.
They reportedly arrested the woman on suspicion of drug possession, which led police to search the car before arresting Paul Rodriguez on suspicion of misdemeanor possession of narcotics.
According to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department records, Rodriguez was booked shortly after 10 p.m. on Monday and released after 6 a.m. on Tuesday morning with a citation
Back in March, the film and television star was arrested on misdemeanor drug possession charges after police initially pulled him over for a traffic violation.
But Rodriguez denied the charges in a statement to TMZ at the time, and he claimed the traffic stop was racially motivated.
He said he had been sleeping in the passenger seat while a female friend was driving the car, and after police pulled them over an officer allegedly slapped him in the face to wake him up.
Rodriguez accused the officer of being on a ‘power trip,’ and he claimed the drugs allegedly discovered by police during the stop were not his and instead belonged to the friend behind the wheel.
He claimed that the woman also told police that the drugs belonged to her during the stop.
In April, the Burbank City Attorney confirmed that his office had dropped the charges against Rodriguez due to insufficient evidence.
In response to the development, Rodriguez’ lawyer Bobby Samini said in a statement: ‘My client commends the City Attorney for their determination in this matter. It is without doubt that Mr. Rodriguez was innocent and never possessed any controlled substance.
‘Mr. Rodriguez maintained his innocence and rejected the assertion by Burbank PD that he committed any crime,’ Samini continued. ‘He is grateful for the support he received from his fans, family and friends throughout this difficult time.’
His recent run-ins with the law come amid a challenging period for the comedian.
In November of last year, Rodriguez’s longtime friend, Donald Serrato, died from natural causes while staying at Rodriguez’s Los Angeles home.
Additionally, in 2021, the comedian underwent quadruple bypass surgery.
Serrato had sold his own home in Torrance and was staying at Rodriguez’ residence in the Los Angeles area for some days before he planned to move to Montana at the time of his death.
Law enforcement sources said the authorities believe Serrato died of natural causes, and do not suspect drugs or foul play were involved.
At the time, Rodriguez said he felt Serrato’s alleged heavy drinking and smoking — as well as his grief over two bereavements in his family — may have contributed to his demise.
Rodriguez, who was born in Sinaloa before immigrating to Compton with his family, has been a comedian for more than four decades.
He is a regular on the stand-up circuit, and is one of the elite group of comedians whose photos are on the wall of the iconic Comedy Store in Los Angeles
Early in his career, Rodriguez even led the cast of his own sitcom a.k.a. Pablo in 1984, thought it was canceled after six episodes.
Over the years, fans have seen him on top television programs including The Golden Girls, Touched By An Angel and The Twilight Zone.
He is also known for briefly hosting The Newlywed Game in 1988, as well as appearing in several feature films, including Clint Eastwood’s thriller Blood Work, the Oscar-nominated Will Smith–starring biopic Ali and the ensemble comedy Rat Race, among others.
He has also lent his voice to cartoons like King Of The Hill, Dora The Explorer, The Proud Family and the animated film Cats & Dogs: The Return Of Kitty Galore.
His son is a famous skateboarder also called Paul Rodriguez, who goes by P-Rod on social media and boats over a million followers on Instagram.