Police: Woman arrested after pulling knife at Waffle House

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. (FOX 5 Atlanta) - A metro Atlanta Waffle House became the site of a frightening encounter after police say a woman pulled a knife on several officers.

Lawrenceville Police officers caught the arrest on body camera earlier in January at the Waffle House on Grayson Highway.

According to the police incident report obtained by FOX 5, officers say employees called them after Leslie Simpson stayed for an extended period of time in the restaurant and then refused to leave.

When officers asked the woman to leave, investigators say she then asked for a box for her food.

"Alright, grab your bag and come on," one officer says in the footage.

After a few moments when she doesn't leave, the officers give her a criminal trespassing warning. She responds by swearing at them.

When they followed Simpson out, she cursed at them again, they said.

"You want to take me to jail? I have been to jail several times," Simpson says.

After a short confrontation, Simpson walks away, cursing at the officers again. That's when officers say she reached in her coat pocket and pulled out a 4 to 5 inch knife.

The officers then tackled Simpson to restrain her.

"Everybody know I carry and got that knife in my pocket," Simpson said in the footage.

Officers say they were able to remove the knife and had to carry Simpson to their patrol car because she refused to stand up, telling them "It's not going to be easy."

Simpson faces several charges including aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, public drunkenness, disorderly conduct, and possession of drug-related objects.