Man admits he stabbed Portland restaurant worker when he couldn't pay for meal

 

 Moses Trujillo-Rodriguez booking photo courtesy Multnomah County Jail

Police arrested a man Tuesday who they say stabbed a restaurant worker who had asked the man to leave after the man refused to pay for his meal.

According to a probable cause affidavit, officers responded to a reported stabbing at the Habibi restaurant on Southwest Morrison Street at around 7:30 p.m.

At the scene, they found a man sitting in nearby bushes and the restaurant owner told officers the man had stabbed one of his employees. Officers told the man to come out of the bushes and they took him into custody.

Police later identified the man as Moses Trujillo-Rodriguez.

According to the court document, Trujillo-Rodriguez ordered food at Habibi that evening. When he finished eating, an employee approached him and asked if he was ready to pay. Witnesses said Trujillo-Rodriguez began to act irate and said he would not pay. The employee asked Trujillo-Rodriguez to leave and walked toward the door. Trujillo-Rodriguez then stabbed the employee in the back and slashed his arm before running out the door.

Employees followed the suspect until police arrived.

The injured employee was treated at Oregon Health and Science University.

A Portland Police Bureau officer spoke to Trujillo-Rodriguez and he confirmed he had ordered food at Habibi knowing he could not pay for it and said he stabbed the employee in the back.

Trujillo-Rodriguez was booked in the Multnomah County Jail on charges of second-degree assault and unlawful use of a weapon.