Diners at Jack’s in Old Orcutt were witness to an unusual breakfast on the morning of Aug. 7 when police officers systematically filed into the restaurant to arrest an armed robbery suspect.
According to Santa Maria Police Department (SMPD) Lt. Marc Schneider, his department received a tip that wanted suspect Joseph Castillo Ramos, 30, was inside Jack’s having breakfast when the police decided to move in and arrest him.
Ramos was wanted on a $50,000 arrest warrant for an alleged strong-arm robbery at the Famous Footwear at 2238 S. Bradley Road on July 4, Schneider said. Ramos and another suspect, 21-year-old Nicole Ramirez, are accused of taking a pair of shoes and injuring store employees who confronted the couple in a struggle before Ramos and Ramirez fled in a silver Nissan Altima.
Jack’s owner Chris Salazar wouldn’t comment for the story, but some restaurant employees who asked not to be named told the Sun that the police came in suddenly and swiftly, some holding guns.
Employees said some customers appeared to be scared and frozen in place as the police came in to get Ramos, who was arrested without a struggle. As Ramos was taken out in handcuffs, one employee said some customers were clapping and giving praise to the police.
The arrest was orchestrated by the SMPD with help from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, Schneider said. He added that it was easier to arrest Ramos while he was inside the restaurant rather than wait until he leaves.
“That’s always an option if we think he’s coming out soon,” Schneider told the Sun. “They were led to believe the restaurant was relatively empty at the time. They made a decision that if he’s seated at a table, it would have been easier to take him down then.”
This article appears in Aug 11-18, 2016.
