DETROIT – A Detroit food stand was gaining popularity and online fame, but now it’s closed as one of its owners faces a felony charge.
What started as a busy Sunday for a viral hot dog stand in Southwest Detroit quickly escalated into a confrontation with police and a felony charge.
Within minutes, body cam video shows the encounter shifting from a question about permits to an arrest.
The owners of the stand, neighbors, and customers said the situation could have been handled differently.
“It’s like he didn’t wanna hear anything she had to say,” said Jermaine McCleskey, who lives in Southwest Detroit.
Jason Hernandez owns Doppy’s Fire Hot Dogs with his girlfriend, Nayeli Ruiz, who was arrested. He said there “could’ve been a different way of controlling it.”
The stand has gained popularity in Southwest Detroit and on TikTok for its Mexican-style hot dogs.
“It’s been viral on TikTok. Even food reviewers have come and check them out,” McCleskey said.
But police said the Sunday crowd at Springwells near Whittaker was illegally assembled, with food being sold without a license.
“No no no, it’s closed for business. There’s no waiting,” an officer told the group in body cam video.
Assistant Chief Chuck Fitzgerald said a sergeant working block detail on Sept. 14, 2025, was alerted to a large gathering. He observed a vending operation set up on church grounds with folding tables, a barbecue, and a line of people down Springwells.
“He was trying to discuss it with [Ruiz]. She didn’t want to hear it. He told her he’s going to detain her. She resisted again. She ultimately [was] detained and placed in the back of a scout car,” Fitzgerald said.
Fitzgerald added the case could have easily ended without an arrest.
“When someone asks for identification or permit, there’s a very good chance this young lady would have walked away with just shutting her business or her operation down,” he said. “We don’t know at this point because she didn’t cooperate at all with law enforcement … He wasn’t there to cause her any harm. He was there to find out if she was permitted and then, if she wasn’t, walk her through the steps and how to get permitted.”
Fitzgerald also stressed the food is a safety risk and getting a permit is not a difficult process.
“It’s 100% a health risk, a health issue,” he said. “I can’t wheel my stove down to the corner and start selling food. It doesn’t work like that. You have to get your health department license. You have to have other people come inspect. You have to have a state license to sell food.”
“I think they should have given her a warning and if she did it again, then yeah,” said Maria Contreras, another Southwest resident.
Police said four others were also ticketed, noting that vendors are not allowed to have more than two workers. No customers were cited.
Ruiz was charged with resisting and obstructing a police officer, a state felony carrying a penalty of up to two years. The illegal street vending itself, Fitzgerald clarified, is a ticket-level offense.
“This is a simple thing. Shut it down. You don’t have a license, you don’t have a permit. What she did turned it into something bigger,” Fitzgerald said.
“When can I tell my side of the story, because I do have video,” Ruiz said during her arraignment.
Despite the charges, her boyfriend Hernandez said they’ve always had a good relationship with officers.
“I’m a little sad with how things went down. We’ll be back,” he said, adding that they’ve even served Detroit police free of charge in the past.
But prosecutors said Ruiz told the crowd in Spanish she would not shut down her stand and refused to comply with police commands. They also said body camera footage does not support her claims of being assaulted.
Ruiz was released on a $10,000 personal bond and is scheduled for a probable cause hearing via Zoom on Sept. 26, 2025, and a preliminary examination in-person on Oct. 3, 2025.
Hernandez told Local 4 the business is already working toward getting the necessary permits.