Starbucks employees alert police of armed man, leading to drugs and weapons arrest, investigators say
Scotts Valley police said that a ghost gun and other weapons were found during the arrest of Jose Xilonzochilt, 26, at a Starbucks on March 21, 2022. (Scotts Valley Police Department)
SCOTTS VALLEY, Calif. - The quick action of some very alert employees at a Starbucks in Scotts Valley led to the recovery of illegal firearms, drugs and an arrest of a parolee, police said.
Employees working at a Starbucks drive-through called police on Monday to report that a customer, seen last week with a firearm in his waistband, had returned to the coffee shop.
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When officers arrived, police said that the suspect tried to evade them by going into the store's bathroom and locking himself inside.
"Officers gained entry into the bathroom and detained the subject," police said in a post on the department’s Facebook page on Tuesday. They identified the suspect as Jose Xilonzochilt and said he was wearing an ankle monitor due to prior criminal offenses.
Investigators said that while they did not locate a weapon on Xilonzochilt, a search of a garbage can in the bathroom resulted in the discovery of a fully loaded Glock handgun with an extended magazine. Police described the weapon as a ghost gun saying it had no serial number and was illegally modified to operate as a full automatic, which investigators added, qualified as a machine gun.
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Scotts Valley police said that a ghost gun and other weapons were found during the arrest of Jose Xilonzochilt, 26, at a Starbucks on March 21, 2022. (Scotts Valley Police Department)
The investigation continued with a search of Xilonzochilt’s vehicle, where officers found additional loaded guns, fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin, Oxycodone, a digital scale, packaging materials and other drug paraphernalia, police said.
The 26-year-old Xilonzochilt was arrested on multiple felony charges including carrying a loaded firearm in a public place possession of a controlled substance and narcotics. He was booked into the Santa Cruz County jail with a "no bail" status.
Scotts Valley police say Jose Xilonzochilt was found to be in possession of illegal firearms and drugs. He was arrested on Monday, March 21, 2022 after Starbucks employees called police. (Scotts Valley Police Department)
Scotts Valley police said that fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin, and Oxycodone were recovered in the arrest of Jose Xilonzochilt, 26, at a Starbucks on March 21, 2022. (Scotts Valley Police Department)