LAKE ELSINORE, Calif. — A routine late-night stop for food turned into an unexpected rescue at an In-N-Out Burger restaurant after a college student reportedly jumped through the drive-through window to help employees during a tense confrontation.
The incident happened shortly before 1 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 2, at the In-N-Out location in Lake Elsinore.
Luca Opperman, 20, had just placed his order and pulled up to the drive-through window when he heard a loud banging noise coming from inside the restaurant.
When he looked up, Opperman said he saw a woman holding what appeared to be a large wooden stick.
“I look up and just see this lady, she has this baseball bat-sized stick, basically like a tree branch, and she’s overhead smashing it on top of a counter,” he told the Los Angeles Times.
What happened next turned the customer into an unlikely protector.
Student Grabs Spatula and Jumps Through Window
Opperman, a college student and former gymnast, rugby player and parkour teacher who now does freestyle trampolining, decided he needed to intervene.
He jumped through the drive-through window and grabbed the first object he saw that could help him confront the woman: a spatula.
“Thinking about it now, I probably would have been better off with a fryer basket, but it happened so fast,” Opperman told the Times.
He said he began yelling at the woman to leave while holding the spatula.
The situation reportedly escalated when the woman entered the kitchen and moved toward employees who had retreated into a back area.
A bystander who recorded the incident described Opperman’s movements in dramatic terms, comparing him to Spider-Man and Jackie Chan.
“He gets out of his car, and he jumps through the window like he’s Spider-Man,” the bystander said in the video.
The witness added, “This kid, like, totally saved the day.”
Woman Allegedly Swings Stick at Customer
Opperman said the woman swung the wooden stick at him while he stood between her and the employees.
“I’m holding the spatula, wielding my spatula and yelling at her, ‘Get out of here! Get out of here!’” he recalled.
At one point, he said the woman turned away from him, giving him an opportunity to move in and take control of the situation. Opperman said he was able to shoulder-drop her and grab the stick, effectively disarming her before she left the business.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that deputies responded to the restaurant and described Opperman as a good Samaritan who was able to disarm the suspect.
Deputies Detain Suspect at Restaurant
Lt. Deirdre Vickers told that deputies arrived at approximately 12:45 a.m. The woman was identified by the Los Angeles Times as Antonieta Sanchez, 53, of Redlands, California.
Authorities said Sanchez ultimately exited the business and was detained by deputies without further incident. No injuries were reported in connection with the confrontation.
Sanchez was booked on suspicion of felony vandalism and brandishing a weapon, according to the sheriff’s office. The investigation follows the dramatic encounter captured by a bystander, whose video helped bring attention to the unusual rescue.
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Student Says His Restaurant Experience Motivated Him
For Opperman, stepping in was not simply about being in the right place at the right time. He said his own experience working in the fast-food industry helped him understand what employees were facing.
“I know In-N-Out employees get paid decent, but they don’t get paid well enough to get attacked by a crazy lady with a stick,” he told the Times.
He said he felt compelled to stand up for the restaurant workers during the confrontation.
“If I didn’t step in, right there and then, I knew that somebody could have gotten hurt,” he told KTLA.
Opperman also said he did not consider himself a hero despite the attention the incident received.
In-N-Out Praises Customer’s Quick Thinking
The college student’s actions were widely praised online, including by the restaurant itself. In-N-Out Chief Operating Officer Denny Warnick said the company was grateful that a customer intervened.
“We are thankful that one of our customers bravely intervened to ensure the safety of everyone nearby,” Warnick told the Times. “We applaud his selflessness and quick thinking, and we’ve been able to share our gratitude with him.”
Despite the praise, Opperman said he believes the incident was largely about being in the right place at the right time.
While he may have entered the restaurant looking for a late-night meal, he left as an unexpected hero after using nothing more than quick thinking, courage and a spatula to help protect workers.
Would you have jumped through the drive-through window to help in this situation? Tell us what you would have done in the comments.
