Texas Cop Pulls Up to Crime Scene, Orders Burger Instead of Making Arrest

A lot of things can get in the way of diligent police work.

Heavy drinking, love of pies, and throwing peanuts, to name just a few. Well, now we can add cheeseburgers to that list.

As a fellow officer was dealing with a drunken disturbance outside of a 24-hour Whataburger, San Antonio police officer Gary Nel pulled up to the scene and decided that the situation needed no further intervention.

Instead, he beelined it to the cash register and ordered a cheeseburger, much to the dismay of a Whataburger manager who asked if he was there to help deal with the drunken man outside. According to local news station KENS5, Nel said "no," and the arresting officer had to call for backup as Nel reportedly sat in the back corner of the restaurant eating his burger instead.

Nel, for his part, told Internal Affairs that "nothing happened" and that by the time he was eating his Whataburger, two officers had cuffed the suspect. Clearly, the police force didn't buy Nel's version and meted out a 30-day suspension.

This isn't Nel's first suspension for a lack of fraternal behavior. In March, he was given a 40-day suspension for cussing out a fellow officer during a traffic stop. A few months before that, Nel was accused of using "profane and abusive language" after pulling over another colleague for reckless driving and then threatening to "beat the fuck out" of the cop.

Not surprisingly, Nel has come under scrutiny for his bro-y style of policing civilians as well. Last year, he was also caught body slamming a DUI suspect who allegedly spit on him and telling the young man that he would "fucking break his neck."

Actually, this isn't even the first controversial incident involving a cop at Whataburger. In September, reports emerged of employees at the burger chain (and other fast food chains) refusing to serve police officers. Whataburger ended up making a personal apology to the officers.

Sadly, nothing in this case appears to be a first, and the saga of Office Gary Nel continues.