Arrest warrant ties October trailer theft to heist of Panther City BBQ’s smokers
Fort Worth police have arrested a man who investigators linked to a van used in the Jan. 1 theft of Panther City BBQ’s smokers.
Police arrested 53-year-old Arnulfo Rodriguez on Thursday on a charge of stealing a flatbed trailer from an electrical contractor at 3321 Suffolk Drive on Oct. 29, 2023.
Surveillance footage captured two men cutting a ball lock off the 20-foot trailer before attaching it to a white van and driving away, according to the arrest warrant affidavit. Police believe this van was also used in the Jan. 1 heist of two of Panther City BBQ’s smokers.
Police confiscated the van on Jan. 20 after Panther City BBQ owner Chris Magallanes reported seeing it outside a diner near the West 7th district. Police found Panther City BBQ’s missing smokers in a field near the diner hours after they were reported missing.
Magallanes said he believes the diner’s owner may be involved in the thefts. He pointed to surveillance footage showing the diner’s owner interacting with the van’s driver, and helping him move oven ranges from the van into the owner’s truck.
The Star-Telegram is not naming the owner or the diner because charges have not been been filed.
The diner owner denied any connection to the Panther City BBQ theft in an interview with the Star-Telegram in January, even going so far as to threaten a lawsuit over social media posts implying a connection.
As of late February, no legal action has been taken, Magallanes said.
Rodriguez hasn’t been charged in the Panther City BBQ theft, but he is a suspect, according to his arrest warrant affidavit.
Police used a screengrab from Panther City BBQ’s security footage to connect the van to a pair of thefts in south Fort Worth including a traffic stop where Rodriguez was identified as the driver, according to the affidavit.
Investigators used this footage and a photo of the van parked outside a house believed to be Rodriguez’s residence to connect him to both thefts.
It’s not clear whether Rodriguez will be charged in connection with the Panther City BBQ case.
While police have evidence connecting the van to multiple crime scenes, there’s not enough evidence showing Rodriguez was involved, Magallanes said.
“It’s frustrating because we have surveillance footage showing he’s the same height, same build, even the same shoes, but the police are telling us it’s not enough,” he said.
The investigation into the Panther City BBQ thefts is still ongoing, a police spokesperson said in an email to the Star-Telegram.
Rodriguez’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This story was originally published February 20, 2024 at 2:08 PM.
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