A popular Los Angeles restaurateur faces deportation after being arrested by immigration agents. His family said he was arrested after a former employee reported a gun to authorities in his restaurant.Chef Carlos Lool, owner of La Granja Rotisserie and Fuego Rotisserie in South Los Angeles, was detained by ICE agents last week while collecting supplies for a catering event.Video shows masked federal agents surrounding Luhr, pulling him from his car and making a roadside arrest. His business partner and girlfriend, Jenna Lawrence, said the encounter quickly turned chaotic.“They pulled him out of the car. They put him on the floor. They pulled me back, they pulled the gun, and then they grabbed him,” she told ABC7.Lawrence described the arrest as “sad and humiliating,” adding: “It’s heartbreaking. Everyone who has had a family member or a loved one taken away by ICE – this is so sad and humiliating.”The investigation began after a former employee contacted authorities and claimed there was a gun inside the restaurant, according to Lawrence. The alleged weapons reportedly violated the conditions of Lure’s parole, and Lure has a criminal record.Lawrence defended the decision to keep the guns, saying the restaurants were acting in self-defense as they have been hit with multiple crimes in the neighborhood.“We have a tough neighborhood. We get robbed. Windows are broken, fences are jumped,” she said.Lule is from Guatemala and has a criminal record in Connecticut that spans nearly three decades. In 1997, he was convicted of third-degree assault, a class A misdemeanor. A year later, he was convicted of second-degree assault, a felony. Records also show several DUI and failure to appear violations.It was unclear whether Luhr was legally living in the United States at the time of his arrest.To many Hyde Park residents, Lure is a mentor to young chefs in South Los Angeles. His restaurants have built a loyal following in the community.Lawrence said his detention has put businesses and families in crisis as he could soon be deported.“It’s devastating to think that he won’t be here to care about everything he dreamed of building in this country,” she said.She added that Luhr’s child lived in the United States and claimed he was taken away without basic items or work tools.“He’s been in this country. His kids are here. It’s just too much, it’s overwhelming… He has no clothes, no cell phone, no computer – and we own our own business. We’re getting deeper and deeper into trouble because he’s been deported.”Lure remains in ICE custody while deportation proceedings continue.
