SJPD arrest suspect in Peters' Bakery rage-fueled encounter
Suspect arrested after rage-fueled encounter at San Jose bakery
San Jose police announced the arrest of a man who they say terrorized workers and customers at a longtime bakery last December. The encounter was caught on camera and authorities caught up with the suspect in Arkansas.
SAN JOSE, Calif. - San Jose police on Tuesday announced the arrest and charges filed against a 44-year-old Arkansas man, who was captured on video, damaging equipment inside Peters' Bakery just before Christmas.
San Jose police shared a photo of a suspect sought in connection with an assault at Peters' Bakery on December 17, 2025.
Bakery suspect ‘enraged’
What they're saying:
Police identified Eugene Morgan as the suspect who entered the bakery on Dec. 17, 2025, at about 2:30 p.m. in the 3100 block of Alum Rock Avenue, and became "enraged" when an employee declined to buy some unnamed products from him.
Police also said Morgan assaulted a female customer who tried to record what was going on. She suffered minor injuries.
Morgan fled the scene, which was posted on Instagram by Peters' Bakery, and currently has nearly 15,000 likes.
Detectives began to work on the case, which they said led him to Morgan, who was in Arkansas.
Video: Man assaults customer, destroys equipment at San Jose bakery
Surveillance footage shared on social media shows a man swiping items off a countertop, then tackling a customer to the ground outside Peters' Bakery.
On March 3, the Fort Smith Arkansas Sheriff's Department responded to a trespassing call, which turned out to be Morgan.
It was then that Morgan was arrested in connection with the trespassing and also for the San Jose assault, police said.
In a statement, Cap Peters, the owner of Peters' Bakery said: "This situation has always been about much more than a single small business or a specific individual; it is about the fundamental safety of every community member, patron, and neighbor who shares our public spaces."
Peters continued: "Our deepest hope now is that the district attorney's office and the judges will do their part in the next steps of this process. It is crucial for the safety of our entire community that individuals who commit acts of violence are held fully accountable, and that they are not simply released back into the populace."
Stacie Shih, a spokesperson with the San Jose Police Department, said: "No matter where you flee, you could flee out of the city. In this case out of state, we are able to find you and hold you accountable and make sure you come back and face the consequences," Shih said at a news briefing on Tuesday afternoon.
Morgan was extradited back to Santa Clara County on April 9, and booked into jail in connection with felony vandalism and felony intimidation of a witness with violence.
San Jose police said the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office later filed charges for the same crimes.
Public defender
The other side:
Morgan was being represented by the Santa Clara County Public Defender's Office and was scheduled to return to court on May 22 to enter a plea.
KTVU reached out to the public defender's office on Tuesday but did not immediately hear back.