Renowned comedian arrested in Southern California again

(KTLA) – Comedian and actor Paul Rodriguez was arrested earlier this week in Burbank, California, on suspicion of narcotics possession, according to multiple media reports.  

The arrest unfolded Monday evening at around 8:30 p.m. in a parking structure in Burbank’s downtown area, The Los Angeles Times reported.

A witness reportedly requested a welfare check, reporting concern about a man, later identified as Rodriguez, and a woman leaving a nearby restaurant who appeared “under the influence and not alert.” Officers located the individuals matching the reporting party’s description.  

Rodriguez was reportedly behind the wheel of the vehicle, with the woman in the passenger seat.  

“The investigation led to the discovery of alprazolam [Xanax] and heroin inside of the female’s personal bag,” Burbank Police Sgt. Stephen Turner told The Times, adding that the woman was arrested on suspicion of drug possession. 

Inside the 70-year-old entertainer’s vehicle, officers also reportedly found pills they suspected of being fentanyl and Xanax, though Rodriguez denied that the drugs were his.  

Records from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office show he was cited and released the next day.

This arrest comes on the heels of another run-in with Burbank police in March, when he was allegedly found to be in possession of narcotics during a traffic stop.  

In that instance, Rodriguez told TMZ that he was a passenger in a vehicle stopped for a traffic violation and that a “Caucasian” police officer on a “power trip” slapped him to wake him up.  

Bobby Samini, the actor’s attorney, told the outlet that Rodriguez cooperated with law enforcement and was not under the influence, nor did he have any controlled substances on his person, adding that the March 28 arrest was a violation of his client’s civil rights and that they would establish “Mr. Rodriguez’s innocence in a court of law.”  

The Mexican-born comic, who grew up in East L.A., is best known for his standup comedy work, though he began working as an actor in sitcoms in the 1980s and starred in well-known films like “Blood Work” with Clint Eastwood and “The Whoopee Boys” with Michael O’Keefe.