A man was arrested after pulling an iguana from underneath his sweatshirt and throwing it at a restaurant manager.
Arnold J Teeter, 49, entered a branch of Perkins Restaurant in Painesville, Ohio and laid down in a booth, according to police.
He threw a menu at a waitress and then, when confronted by the restaurant manager,
“pulled an iguana from under his sweatshirt and began swinging the animal over his head in a circular motion”.
He then threw the lizard at the manager, narrowly missing him and sending the reptile sliding across the floor.
Police were called and, after watching restaurant video footage of the incident, later caught up with Teeter nearby.
The man attempted to dodge officers by running into traffic, police said, but when they finally arrested him they found a 2ft (61cm) iguana under his sweatshirt.
Painesville Police Department/Facebook
He was charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and cruelty to animals, while the iguana was taken in by Lake County Humane Society.
Painesville Police shared the story in an official statement on Facebook.
"At approximately 11:18 a.m. on Tuesday, April 16, the Painesville Police Department responded to a call for service at Perkins Restaurant, 700 Mentor Avenue, for a disorderly patron. Officers arrived and spoke with the restaurant manager, Dustin Amato, who informed them an unknown male, later identified as 49-year-old ARNOLD J. TEETER, entered the restaurant and laid down in a booth before throwing a menu at a waitress, becoming increasingly loud."
"Amato attempted to speak with Teeter, who then pulled an iguana from under his sweatshirt and began swinging the animal over his head in a circular motion. Teeter then threw the iguana at Amato, missing the manager and landing on the tile floor, sliding across the floor at some length. Teeter then picked up the iguana by the tail and walked out of the restaurant. The incident was captured on restaurant video."
"The responding officer checked the area but was unable to find Teeter at the time. Approximately 30 minutes later at 11:49 a.m., police were call to the Painesville YMCA at 933 Mentor Avenue for a disorderly male outside. Recognizing Teeter from the restaurant video, officers found him walking through traffic on Mentor Avenue, with multiple vehicles having to actively swerve to avoid striking him."
"After attempting to continue to jump into traffic and struggling with law enforcement, officers were able to arrest Teeter. Upon handcuffing, officers located an approximately 2 foot iguana from under his sweatshirt. Teeter is charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and cruelty to animals. Teeter was arraigned today by Judge Michael Cicconetti, with bond set at $10,000 and a pretrial date of April 22 at 8:00 a.m. in Painesville Municipal Court."
"After the incident, the iguana was cared and doted upon by department staff who contacted the Lake County Humane Society. The iguana was transferred to their care and taken for a medical check at the Animal Center of Euclid which revealed the iguana suffered from a leg bone fracture, metabolic bone disease and poor body condition. It was also noted that she was missing part of her tail. The bone fracture will require surgery to repair."
Painesville Police Department/Facebook
As stated by the police, the iguana was found to have a leg bone fracture which will need surgery to repair.
@jaketapoer/Bluesky
