A Los Angeles man has been arrested by police after he allegedly escalated a dispute with a sushi restaurant by hurling a 13ft python into the eatery, to the alarm of diners and staff.



Hiroshi Motohasi became enraged after restaurant management told him he couldn’t show customers a smaller snake he had brought with him to the Iroha Sushi of Tokyo restaurant, according to the venue’s employees.

After eating and paying for his $200 meal, Motohasi stormed out and fetched a separate snake, a large yellow python, which he hurled into the restaurant while shouting expletives at shocked staff and customers.

According to CBSLA, some of the diners fled in terror, prompting the staff to summon the police and fire department. Restaurant employees said they asked Motohasi several times to remove the snake, only to be rebuffed.

“Get this thing out! You know, everyone’s, like, eating so customers are yelling, ‘Get this thing out! Are you crazy?’” said Jessie Davaadorj, a waitress at the Studio City restaurant.

Motohasi was arrested while attempting to retrieve the snake, and charged with making criminal threats. An LA police department spokesman told the Guardian the police were treating the incident as a “dispute involving a very large snake”.

The LAPD spokesman said no one was hurt in the serpent-tossing episode.

The snake was found stuck behind a computer after trying to slither away from the humans in the room. Los Angeles animal control personnel freed the animal and took it away. Motohasi will have to show valid snake-keeping permits in order to retrieve the python.