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L.A. Has A Serial Dine-And-Dasher (Yes, He's On Bumble)
Be wary the next time a Bumble date suggests B.J.s for dinner, because one Paul Gonzales is out there eating full meals before disappearing without paying for his part of the bill.
According to CBS Los Angeles, this man left a date after eating his meal under the pretense of taking a phone call. It's also not the first time: Gonzales has been dining-and-dashing for over a year across Los Angeles. Last summer, two women went on dates with Gonzales after meeting him online, only to have him disappear after eating his meal. In each scenario, he has ordered an abnormally large amount of food and consumed it very quickly. The reported incidents occurred in Long Beach and Pasadena, so geography is no impediment for Gonzales' desire to scam a free meal. Those meals have consisted of steak, sides, and a glass of wine, so perhaps the allure of red meat and tannins overcomes possible traffic on the 110.
Blind dates also aren't the only victims of his crimes; he was arrested in July of last year for leaving a Burbank hair salon without paying for the services. In that instance, however, he went by Tony Azini, so Paul Gonzales could also be an alias. When getting the haircut, he requested a cut before a color in order to plan his departure accordingly. He took the same strategizing to his meals by consistently displaying an impatient desire to order and eat.
According to the L.A. County District Attorney's office, he has other bench warrants out for his arrest and has been to jail on several occasions on misdemeanor charges. He has a history of petty theft and driving without a valid license.
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