Man Bails on Check, Runs Over Restaurant Owner's Friend in the Parking Lot: Police

Police are looking for a man who allegedly tried to leave a Columbia Pike restaurant without paying for his meal and then ran over the friend of the restaurant's owner who tried to stop him.

The incident happened at 11:25 p.m. on May 27 in the 3700 block of S. Columbia Pike -- at El Rancho Migueleno restaurant, according to an ArlNow.com report -- when a man "left a restaurant without paying his tab," according to a police statement.

"The victim approached the suspect’s vehicle and they began to exchange words regarding the incident," the statement adds. "The male suspect attempted to drive away and the victim stood in front of the vehicle in an effort to prevent him from leaving. The male suspect then struck the victim with his vehicle, drove over the victim’s legs and fled the scene."

The man's injuries were not life-threatening. He was a friend of the owner of the restaurant, according to Arlington police spokesperson Ashley Savage.

Police are looking for a Hispanic man in his 20s who is about 6 feet tall and 180 lbs. He was wearing a white shirt, blue jeans and a sleeve tattoo on his right arm.

Savage said in the event that someone does walk out of a restaurant without paying the tab, the best course of action is to contact police immediately and provide as many details about the suspect's description as possible.