Raymond Cruz, the actor forever burned into our memories as the unhinged Tuco Salamanca from Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, was arrested Monday morning (Sept. 8) after what sounds like a neighborhood dispute gone way too far.
According to People, the 60-year-old actor was outside his Silver Lake home washing his car when three women pulled up in a white minivan and parked so close that his bumper was kissing theirs. Cruz asked them to move so he wouldn’t spray their ride, but instead of moving, the women started recording him.
Here’s where it gets messy. Cruz, still holding the hose, turned to tell them to knock off the filming. Some of the water splashed onto their car, which one of the women apparently took as an act of aggression. LAPD says she then made a private citizen’s arrest, leading to Cruz being taken into custody around 1:30 p.m.
The Breaking Bad alum spent about five hours behind bars before being released on recognizance. He’s due back in court on October 1, but no official charges have been filed so far.
The arrest was first reported by TMZ, which cited unnamed law enforcement sources claiming Cruz allegedly sprayed a woman’s daughter with a garden hose.
Cruz’s agent, Raphael Berko, quickly defended his client, calling the ordeal “outrageous and dangerous.” Berko insisted Cruz didn’t intentionally spray anyone, pointing out that the actor has lived in the neighborhood for more than two decades without so much as a jaywalking ticket. He also added that Cruz was actually grateful to the LAPD, saying the officers treated him respectfully while he was in custody.
“Raymond is a very private person who has lived in the neighborhood for more than 20 years,” Berko said, noting the actor has “never even had a jaywalking ticket.”
For those who don’t know beyond his Tuco role, Cruz has had a long Hollywood run—15 years as Detective Julio Sanchez on TNT’s The Closer and Major Crimes, plus appearances in Training Day, Clear and Present Danger, Alien: Resurrection, and even a 2023 Super Bowl commercial with Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul.
The Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office will review the case next month and determine whether to pursue charges.
