A 20-year-old college student and former gymnast is being praised after he jumped through an In-N-Out drive-thru window and disarmed a woman who was threatening restaurant employees with a large wooden stick.
KTLA 5 reporter Sandra Mitchell said the confrontation happened at an In-N-Out in Lake Elsinore, California, where witnesses described a chaotic scene involving a woman swinging a long stick with a sharp, broken end while workers retreated for safety.
The customer who stepped in, Luca Opperman, had been waiting in the drive-thru line when he heard loud banging from inside the restaurant.
“I just hear banging, super loud banging coming from the inside of the lobby,” Opperman told Mitchell.
He said he looked up and saw the woman swinging what appeared to be a baseball bat.
Opperman Jumps Through The Drive-Thru Window
Mitchell reported that Opperman did not stay in his car.
Witnesses said he got out, moved toward the restaurant and entered through the drive-thru window feet-first.
Mitchell said some people later joked that he looked like Spider-Man because of how quickly and awkwardly he slipped through the small opening.
Once inside, Opperman grabbed a metal spatula and used it as the only thing available to him while confronting the woman.
“I’m holding the spatula, wielding my spatula and yelling at her, ‘Get out of here! Get out of here!’” he said.
It is a strange image, but also one that says a lot about how fast the situation developed.
Opperman did not have time to prepare or look for the perfect tool. He apparently grabbed what was nearby and tried to create enough distance between the woman and the employees until he could stop the threat.
Former Gymnast Says He Was Not Intimidated
Mitchell noted that Opperman is a former gymnast and freestyle trampoline athlete, which may help explain how he managed to get through the drive-thru window so quickly.
That athletic background also appeared to help once the confrontation became physical.
The woman continued swinging the large wooden stick, and Opperman decided he needed to take it away from her.
“That’s when you see me go in with the shoulder drop,” he told KTLA.
Opperman said he checked the woman with his shoulder, grabbed the stick and removed it from her hands.
He described the weapon as roughly the size of a baseball bat.
“The other end of it was, like, snapped off, too,” he said, explaining that the broken wood had created sharp edges.
That detail makes the incident sound even more dangerous than a normal argument inside a fast-food restaurant.
A large wooden object can already cause serious injury, but a jagged broken end adds another level of risk for employees and customers trapped nearby.
Employees Had Backed Away From The Woman
According to Mitchell’s report, most employees had already retreated toward a back area because they were afraid of being hit.
One witness said the woman had reportedly become angry because her burger was not being prepared quickly enough.
Whatever triggered the confrontation, the situation had clearly gone far beyond a normal customer complaint.
Video showed the woman swinging the stick while Opperman tried to keep her away from others.
Mitchell said Opperman eventually lunged forward and got control of the weapon.
No one was injured during the confrontation.
That is probably the most remarkable outcome considering how easily the situation could have ended differently.
Once a sharp object or heavy stick starts being swung inside a crowded restaurant, there is very little room for error.
Opperman Says Someone Could Have Been Hurt
Opperman told Mitchell he believed he had to act because employees were cornered and the woman was still behaving aggressively.
“If I didn’t step in right there and then, I knew that somebody could’ve gotten hurt,” he said.
He added that someone walking into a restaurant swinging a wooden bat and demanding that police be called was clearly looking for confrontation.
“You’re gonna find trouble, and you found me that night,” Opperman said.
That line captured the confidence he seemed to bring into the encounter.
Still, what makes the story more interesting is that he did not appear to be looking for a fight himself. He was simply waiting for food when the situation unfolded in front of him.
He then decided the risk of doing nothing was greater than the risk of stepping in.
Police Arrest The Woman
Mitchell reported that police eventually arrived and took the woman into custody.
She was identified as 53-year-old Antonieta Sanchez.
According to the report, Sanchez was arrested on suspicion of brandishing a weapon and felony vandalism.
By the time officers arrived, Opperman had already taken the stick away and the immediate danger had ended.
Video of the confrontation later spread widely on social media. Mitchell said many commenters praised Opperman and called him a hero.
Some even joked that In-N-Out should give him free burgers for life. One KTLA anchor added that fries should probably be included too.
Social Media Praises The College Student
The public reaction focused heavily on how unusual Opperman’s intervention looked.
A college student leaping through a drive-thru window, grabbing a spatula and taking on a person swinging a sharpened wooden pole is not exactly a normal night at a fast-food restaurant.
But behind the humor of the spatula and the Spider-Man comparisons is a serious point.
Opperman stepped into a situation where employees appeared frightened and where a weapon was already being swung.
That kind of intervention carries real danger, even for someone athletic and confident.
The fact that nobody was hurt does not mean the encounter was safe.
It means the confrontation ended before the worst possible outcome happened.
A Fast-Food Dispute Turns Into A Violent Standoff
Mitchell’s report shows just how quickly an ordinary customer dispute can become something much more serious.
According to witnesses, the woman was reportedly upset over the speed of her food order.
Minutes later, she was allegedly swinging a large stick inside the restaurant while employees moved away from her.
Opperman, meanwhile, had simply been sitting in the drive-thru waiting for his food.
His background as a gymnast may have helped him react quickly, but his decision to intervene was still a personal one made in the moment.
He later said he was not intimidated and believed someone would have been injured if he had not acted.
Police ultimately handled the arrest, but by then the threat had already been stopped.
For Opperman, what began as a routine trip through the drive-thru ended with him becoming the person standing between restaurant workers and an armed, angry customer.
And somehow, the tool he used to help stop it all was a metal spatula.
A former park ranger and wildlife conservationist, Lisa’s passion for survival started with her deep connection to nature. Raised on a small farm in northern Wisconsin, she learned how to grow her own food, raise livestock, and live off the land. Lisa is our dedicated Second Amendment news writer and also focuses on homesteading, natural remedies, and survival strategies. Lisa aims to help others live more sustainably and prepare for the unexpected.
