Instead of leaving a tip for his server at an L.A. sushi restaurant, an angry customer strode out of the joint, leaving his 13-foot python snake behind.
According to police, Hiroshi Motohashi said he was so angry with the management of Studio City sushi joint for telling him to leave the store because he brought in a smaller snake earlier in the evening, he returned with a much larger serpent and then walked out, leaving it and a restaurant full of worried diners behind.
The L.A. Times reported that the man entered the restaurant with the large snake, uttered an expletive, let the beast loose on the floor, and then calmly walked out.
Apparently the snake-handling customer was upset that he paid for a $200 meal on his earlier visit but felt he was mistreated because he was told to leave when he began showing the smaller snake to other customers.
Animal control agents took possession of both serpents, and Motohashi was arrested on suspicion of making criminal threats. The man will have to show proof of ownership to get the cold-blooded creatures back, officials said.
It appears Motohashi has a record of arrests for illegally selling exotic animals. Among other problems, in 2005, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that Motohashi was arrested for selling a Gila monster without a permit in 1997. He served a 15-month federal sentence for the illegal sale.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston, or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com.
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