As she was on her way to visit Yosemite National Park last week, she made a quick pit stop at the Del Taco on the 28000 block of The Old Road.
But something caught her attention.
It was a handful of police officers looking through a briefcase that had a pile of cash.
Monica Johnson was visiting from Indianapolis and on her way to the national park last week on Tuesday, and stopped to get snacks before the long drive ahead at around 4:23 p.m.
And when she saw some unusual activity right outside the restaurant in the location’s parking lot, she pulled out her phone to record.
“I saw half a dozen or so agents around this guy who was handcuffed and sitting on the ground,” she said, and she immediately thought it was U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, also known as ICE.
Deputy Robert Jensen, a spokesman for the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station, confirmed on Saturday it was not ICE and could not provide any information on what agency the police officers were affiliated with.
According to the videos provided by Johnson, the men were wearing black vests that read “Police” and had visible firearms near their waist. A few of them appeared to be looking at a briefcase that was filled with a pile of cash on top of a black vehicle.
Moments later, they took the man into custody, and the briefcase, and then left the area, according to Johnson.
Deputy Brenda Serna, with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Information Bureau, could not provide information on what agency the police officers were with, but did confirm that they were not LASD, as those uniforms are not worn by their personnel.
The Los Angeles Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation did not respond to numerous inquiries by The Signal for further information on whether the law enforcement presence witnessed by Johnson was in relation to their agencies.
As of the publication of this story, it is unknown if the arrest was an undercover operation or a warrant served, leaving the mystery of the cash-filled briefcase and identities of the officers unanswered.
