San Diego Chef Identified as Fugitive Wanted in Iowa Woman’s Kidnapping and Shooting, U.S. Marshals Say

After nearly 14 years on the run, a man accused of kidnapping and shooting an Iowa woman has been arrested in San Diego. Authorities say Brian Anthony Williams built a new life under a false name, becoming a well-known chef and even appearing in local television and news coverage while remaining wanted by law enforcement.

Williams, 50, was taken into custody Tuesday at Miss B’s Coconut Club in Mission Beach, California, where he had worked for years under the name “Troy Williams,” according to the U.S. Marshals Service.

Authorities had been searching for Williams since 2012. Investigators allege that he and several other people abducted and assaulted a woman, shot her and left her in a field in northwest Davenport, Iowa.

Prosecutors charged him with first-degree kidnapping, assault causing serious injury, conspiracy to commit a felony and first-degree arson. He was later federally charged with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.

FOX 5 in San Diego reported that Williams spent more than eight years at the restaurant, where staff members regarded him as a trusted colleague and part of the Miss B’s family.

Eddie Jurado, the restaurant’s general manager and a former roommate of Williams, said employees were shocked to discover that the person they knew as Troy was wanted in Iowa in connection with a violent crime that had occurred nearly 2,000 miles away.

Williams also became a familiar face in San Diego media. His public appearances included a February profile from the Times of San Diego, which chronicled his progression from line cook to head chef at Miss B’s Coconut Club.

During that interview, he spoke about his childhood in New York, the obstacles he had faced and his belief that people should treat one another with compassion.

“Togetherness is how we get better,” he said. “Kindness does win.”

Those media appearances, however, may have played a role in bringing his hidden identity to the attention of investigators.

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A U.S. Marshals spokesperson told the station that someone recognized Williams from one of the interviews and contacted authorities. Investigators then began looking into his connection to the San Diego restaurant.

Federal agents received information in September indicating that Williams was living in San Diego under an assumed identity. They eventually located him at a business in the 3700 block of Mission Boulevard, where he was arrested without incident Tuesday.

“This arrest is a perfect example of those who think they have bested law enforcement and evaded arrest,” U.S. Marshal Ted Kamatchus said.

Williams is being held in federal custody while awaiting extradition to Iowa. He is expected to face prosecution there over the alleged 2012 attack.

News Media contacted the U.S. Marshals Service and officials at Miss B’s Coconut Club seeking comment.

Jurado said the arrest has been difficult for employees, who are now trying to reconcile the allegations with the man they believed they had known for years.

“Like, who is he? He was a good guy here, loved by everybody,” Jurado told FOX 5.

The restaurant manager also expressed compassion for the woman allegedly attacked in Iowa nearly 14 years ago.

“It’s a mixed emotion,” Jurado said. “One minute I’m mad that he lied to us. Next minute, he was good to us…It’s actually kind of scary.”