Handcuffs With That Order? Popular San Diego Chef Allegedly Kidnapped And Shot Ex-Girlfriend In Iowa In 2014, Then Fled The State: Social Media Popularity Led U.S. Marshals To Him

A popular San Diego chef known as Troy Williams was arrested on October 6, 2026, after federal authorities discovered he was actually Brian Anthony Williams, a fugitive who had been on the run for nearly 14 years.

Williams had been living a double life as the head chef of Miss B’s Coconut Club in Mission Beach, California, while wanted in connection with a violent 2012 kidnapping, assault, and shooting in Davenport, Iowa.

The Double Life in San Diego

Police say after fleeing Iowa in 2013 to avoid prosecution, Williams moved to Southern California and assumed the alias “Troy Williams”. Over the course of more than a decade, he built a successful culinary career in San Diego’s Mission Beach neighborhood:

Rise to Head Chef: He started out as a line cook at Miss B’s Coconut Club and worked his way up to managing the kitchen for roughly eight to nine years.

Local Media Prominence: Becoming a well-known figure in the local community, Williams frequently appeared in local television news segments representing the restaurant and was even featured in a prominent Times of San Diego Black History Month profile in February 2026.

The Investigation and Arrest

Ironically, it was Williams’ high-profile media appearances and news features under his false identity that ultimately provided investigators with the breakthrough clues needed to track him down.

In September 2026, the U.S. Marshals Service received a tip that the Iowa fugitive was living in San Diego. After confirming his identity through local television broadcasts and articles, marshals walked into a business on Mission Boulevard and arrested the 50-year-old chef without incident.

Co-workers, including the restaurant’s general manager who had previously been Williams’ roommate, expressed absolute shock, noting that the man they knew as a kind, straight-edge vegan chef was an entirely different person.

Original Charges in Iowa

The arrest stems from an October 2012 incident in Scott County, Iowa, where Williams and several co-conspirators allegedly kidnapped, brutally assaulted, and shot his estranged girlfriend. The victim survived after being left in a field outside Davenport.

Williams faces multiple severe charges in Iowa, including:

• First-degree kidnapping
• Assault causing serious injury / willful injury
• Conspiracy to commit a felony
• First-degree arson
• Unlawful flight to avoid prosecution (federal charge added in 2013)

Williams is currently in custody in California awaiting formal extradition back to Iowa to face trial.