California dine-and-dash suspects allegedly ran over café manager who approached them in parking lot: video
Ragin Cajun Café co-owner Lisa Hodges says her employee is recovering and avoided serious injuries
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}They started with the surf-and-turf, followed with some dine-and-dash and capped it off with a little hit-and-run.
California police are on the hunt for a young couple accused of leaving a Redondo Beach restaurant without paying their check – then running over the manager when he came out to collect.
Surveillance video shows the victim lifted onto the car’s hood and swept across the parking lot before falling off as the suspects turn onto a busy road and flee. It happened in broad daylight Monday at around 1 p.m.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He suffered no broken bones or head injuries, according to Ragin Cajun Café co-owner Lisa Hodges, who runs the business with her husband Steve.
This GIF image shows the moment the suspects allegedly drove into a Ragin Cajun Cafe manager Monday after skipping out on their check. (Lisa Hodges/Ragin Cajun Cafe)
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"They hit him hard enough to carry him the whole distance of 30 feet to the street," she told Fox News Digital Thursday afternoon. "And we have a very busy side street…They could have been T-boned…he could have been thrown into traffic."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The couple came in and appeared as though they may have been under the influence of something, she said – clarifying "that’s just a guess." They didn’t drink much during their 15-minute say, she added.
They asked if they could eat on the empty patio, and the manager, who they allegedly ran over a short time later, joked that it would be an hour-plus wait.
An image of the suspects eating on the patio outside the Ragin Cajun Cafe in Redondo Beach Monday. (Lisa Hodges/Ragin Cajun Cafe)
Then they ordered a lot of food – including steak and lobster – and didn’t finish eating it, Hodges said. Before they could finish their meal, they asked for their $90 check and takeout boxes -- and left the unpaid bill on the table.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The manager found they left without paying and saw them in the parking lot.
"We have hay bales as our railing, so he jumped over," Hodges said. "He stood in front of their car just to ask them to pay the tab."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The male driver allegedly told him to come to the driver side window, and he would give him the money.
"But he (the manager) didn't want to move, because I guess instinctually you realize they're probably just going to take off," Hodges said.
Video shows he plowed into the manager instead.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"They could have reversed," Hodges said after reviewing the surveillance cameras. "They could have driven around him. But they chose to just hit the gas and drive through him."
The manager is recovering, she said, and came back to work Wednesday.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"This is a small mom and pop place," Hodges said. "It’s not right."
She also said that she and her husband would be taking the hit, not forcing the manager or wait staff to pay for the dine-and-ditch couple’s misbehavior.
"They’re like family for us," she said. "Our staff have worked for us all throughout COVID, and always been really reliable."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Surveillance video recorded the suspects when they came inside -- wearing masks as local guidelines required. (Lisa Hodges/Ragin Cajun Cafe)
She described the suspects as a Black male and a White female who drove a maroon sedan that may have been a Ford or Chrysler from the 1980s or ‘90s. The license plate began with 7W2 or 2W7, she said. Both suspects appeared to be in their 20s, she said, but wore masks in front of the surveillance cameras inside her restaurant.
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The suspects remain at large, but Hodges said she hopes that police can make some arrests with the public’s help.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Another look at the car (Lisa Hodges/Ragin Cajun Cafe)
"If you see something, say something," she said. "And we just want to thank everybody for the support, because it’s been pretty amazing."
After she posted about the incident on Facebook, she said members of the community started coming forward with tips and helping review her surveillance images. Hopefully, she said, someone recognizes the couple.
A spokesperson for the Redondo Beach Police Department did not immediately return calls seeking comment on the investigation.