Comedian Paul Rodriguez arrested, accused of narcotics possession in Burbank, Calif.

Taryn Luna, Los Angeles Times on Mar 30, 2025

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Comedian and actor Paul Rodriguez was arrested after police allegedly found narcotics in his vehicle during a traffic stop on Friday night in Burbank, California.

Burbank Police Sgt. Stephen Turner said Rodriguez, 70, was a passenger in a vehicle that was stopped for "code violations" at around 7:30 p.m. in the area of Victory Boulevard and Lamer Street.

"During the investigation, narcotics were located," Turner said in a statement.

Rodriguez was booked at the Burbank jail for possession of narcotics and released with a citation to appear in court next month, Turner said.

Rodriguez is telling a different version of the story.

He told TMZ that he was sleeping in the passenger seat when a "Caucasian" officer on a "power trip" slapped him to wake him up. Rodriguez told the outlet that the drugs belonged to the driver of the vehicle.

Bobby Samini, his attorney, called the charges against Rodriguez false, and said his arrest and treatment by police were a "violation of his civil rights."

"He fully cooperated with law enforcement at all times," Samini said in a statement. "Law enforcement asserted that the driver of the vehicle was in possession of a controlled substance. Mr. Rodriguez did not have any controlled substance in his possession, nor was he under the influence of any controlled substance."

Rodriguez, the son of a migrant farm worker, was born in Mexico before moving to East Los Angeles in his youth. His career in stand-up began in L.A. comedy clubs in the late 1970s.

Rodriguez's work includes writing and acting in dozens of films, including his own stand-up comedy specials. He also hosted television shows on Univision and MTV. He is known for his roles in such movies as "Blood Work," "Rat Race," "The World's Fastest Indian" and "Tortilla Soup."

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