HIALEAH, Fla. — A 39-year-old man was arrested Tuesday after police say he used a metal object to smash a television menu and two electronic ordering kiosks at a Hialeah Taco Bell.
The suspect was identified in an arrest report from the Hialeah Police Department as Louis Charles Munoz.
The report states that officers were dispatched at about 11 a.m. Tuesday to the Taco Bell at 785 E. Ninth St. after receiving a report of a man hitting the restaurant’s kiosks with a sharp metal object.
Police said they spoke with the manager, who stated that Munoz had ordered a meal and sat at a table inside the restaurant. She said he stared at her and other employees while he ate.
They said when the manager asked whether something was wrong, Munoz, who is listed as homeless in his arrest report, told her he had been “living here for three years and that things happen in life.”
Police said Munoz then got up, pulled out the metal object and smashed one large television menu and two electronic ordering kiosks. The damaged items were valued at approximately $2,500, the report states.
Munoz then told the manager to call police as he fled the restaurant, according to the report.
Police said they canvassed the area and found Munoz on the roof of 765 E. 9th St., where he barricaded himself.
After multiple attempts to negotiate with Munoz, police said he eventually surrendered the metal object by throwing it off the roof. They said he then turned himself in and climbed down using a Hialeah Fire Rescue ladder truck that was at the scene.
Police said Munoz was then taken into custody without incident.
According to the report, Munoz spontaneously told officers he broke the screens because he wanted to “receive help.”
Jail records show he is facing one count of armed criminal mischief involving property damage of $1,000 or more.
As of Wednesday, he was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where his bond was listed as “to be set.”
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