A 29-year-old Santa Ana man was in custody over the weekend for going all John Belushi's samurai chef on people outside a Mexican restaurant.
Hung Anh Nguyen was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and possession of illegal swords Friday night after allegedly telling approaching Santa Ana cops who repeated orders to put two samurai swords down, “You will have to kill me first.” Several officers then swarmed around Nguyen and subdued him with a stun gun, according to a police spokesman.
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This all happened around 11:15 p.m. in the parking lot of Arsenio's Mexico Food at 751 S. Harbor Blvd., Santa Ana, where Nguyen had allegedly whipped out the samurai swords, threatened bystanders at the busy shopping center and yelled obscenities, reports Santa Ana Police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna.
Blades on the swords were said to be 27 and 19 inches long. Based on his booking photo, the swords' sharp tips may have etched Nguyen's face:
Nguyen was arrested after being taken to a hospital for a psychological evaluation. Bertagna, noting the suspect had an outstanding warrant for a narcotic warrant, mentioned officers believe Nguyen may have been under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
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