LAPD has released a statement after Raymond Cruz, best known for his explosive role as Tuco Salamanca on Breaking Bad, was arrested.
The 60-year-old star was apprehended on suspicion of misdemeanor battery after a dispute outside his Los Angeles home on Monday (September 8), around 10:40AM in the Silver Lake neighborhood.
“There was basically a dispute with the victim, which is when Cruz allegedly sprayed water towards the victim,” LAPD officer David Cuellar told PEOPLE.
A department spokesperson confirmed Cruz was taken into custody at the scene. He was later released on his own recognizance and is scheduled to appear in court on October 1. As of now, no misdemeanor charges have been formally filed.
Cruz’s talent agent, Raphael Berko, has denied that the actor acted intentionally and described the entire situation as “so outrageous and dangerous," per The Independent.
According to Berko, Cruz had been washing his car outside his home when a white minivan carrying three women pulled up and parked “a half an inch” from his bumper.
The talent agent claimed that his client asked the women to move their vehicle, but they refused: “They said no. He goes, 'Come on, move your car. You're not giving me room, and it's going to get wet.' So, he said, ‘Okay.’ He started to clean his car, and then they started filming him.”
Berko said Cruz asked the women to stop filming, but when he turned to address them, he was still holding the hose. “Some of the water from his hose hit the front of his car and spilled on their car,” Berko said. “And then believe it or not, one of them called the police.”
Cruz had never been arrested before, according to Berko, who highlighted the irony given the actor’s long-running role as a police detective on The Closer and its spinoff Major Crimes.
“Someone who played a police detective for 15 years, someone who lives in that neighborhood, was put in handcuffs and taken to jail,” Berko said.
Despite the unexpected arrest, Berko said Cruz remained composed and expressed gratitude toward LAPD personnel.
“Raymond's very grateful to all of the LAPD personnel at the police department because throughout the five hours of him being in their jail, the LAPD were all very, very gracious and nice to him and reassuring,” Berko said.
In addition to his iconic turn on Breaking Bad, Cruz has reprised the role of Tuco Salamanca on the prequel series Better Call Saul. He is also known for portraying Detective Julio Sanchez on TNT’s The Closer and Major Crimes.