Burbank Police have made the first arrest in the ongoing saga of Tinhorn Flats, a Western-themed restaurant and bar that has defied COVID-19 public health orders and dueled with city officials for nearly four months.
Lucas Lepejian, the Tinhorn Flats owner's son, was taken to Burbank City jail Thursday evening for violating a court order, said Lt. Claudio Losacco. Earlier in the day, Lepejian reopened the restaurant in spite of a red tag notice declaring the building unsafe and off limits for occupancy.
Lepejian, 20, was cited and released later that evening on his own recognizance, Losacco said.
Even after the arrest, Tinhorn Flats planned to keep serving diners on Friday, according to a post on the restaurant's Instagram feed.
Losacco said the department is evaluating its next steps "minute by minute."
Tinhorn Flats has continued to serve customers after an L.A. Superior Judge allowed the city of Burbank to shut the business down and cut its power. (Several members of the Lepejian family are still facing a lawsuit from the city). Since then, Tinhorn Flats has run on a generator, which the Burbank Fire Department identified as a fire hazard.
