A 26-year-old man allegedly stole a tip jar from a Huntington Beach Starbucks and then used a 40-pound metal sign to clobber a customer who followed him out of the coffeehouse, police said Sunday.
Officers were summoned about 8:15 p.m. Saturday to the Starbucks at the intersection of Adams Avenue and Brookhurst Street, according to Huntington Beach police.
“The suspect had grabbed the tip jar from the counter and ran into the parking lot where he was followed by a customer,” according to a police statement. “The customer confronted the suspect about the theft, and the suspect grabbed a 40-pound metal sign and attacked the customer, striking him in the head. The suspect then got a bicycle and fled from the area.”
The attacked customer was admitted to a hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
Officers searched the area and a short time later located the suspect, identified as Francisco Cardenas of Santa Ana, in the area of Brookhurst Street and Ellis Avenue in Fountain Valley, police said.
“The suspect as later identified by the victim and other witnesses, and was found in possession of the stolen property,” according to police.
Cardenas was booked on suspicion of theft and assault with a deadly weapon and was being held today in lieu of $25,000 bail with a court date scheduled for Tuesday in Westminster, according to police and sheriff’s jail records.
— City News Service