After nearly 14 years on the run, a man wanted in connection with the alleged kidnapping and shooting of an Iowa woman has been taken into custody in San Diego. Authorities say Brian Anthony Williams built a new life under an assumed name, becoming a well-known chef and even appearing in local media interviews while evading arrest.
The 50-year-old was arrested Tuesday at Miss B’s Coconut Club in Mission Beach, California, where he had worked as “Troy Williams,” according to the U.S. Marshals Service.
Williams had been a fugitive since 2012, when authorities allege he and multiple others 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 indicted federally for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.
Brian Anthony Williams, 50, was taken into custody by U.S. Marshals in San Diego on Oct. 6, 2026, almost 14 years after authorities charged him in the Davenport, Iowa, kidnapping, assault and shooting case. (Facebook)
FOX 5 San Diego reported that Williams had spent more than eight years working at the restaurant, where he became a trusted and familiar presence among the staff.
Eddie Jurado, the restaurant’s general manager and Williams’ former roommate, said employees were shocked to discover that the man they knew as Troy was wanted for an alleged violent crime nearly 2,000 miles away in Iowa.
Williams had also gained attention through local news coverage. In a February feature by the Times of San Diego, he spoke about advancing from line cook to head chef at Miss B’s Coconut Club.
During that interview, he shared stories about his childhood in New York, the challenges he had overcome and his belief that people should treat one another with compassion.
“Togetherness is how we get better,” he said in the interview. “Kindness does win.”
Authorities say Brian Anthony Williams, wanted over a 2012 kidnapping and shooting in Iowa, spent years working as a chef at San Diego’s Miss B’s Coconut Club under the name “Troy Williams” before his Oct. 6, 2026, arrest. (United States Marshals Service Southern District of Iowa)
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Those very public appearances, however, may have provided investigators with the clue that led to his capture.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Marshals Service told the station that a person recognized Williams from one of his media appearances and contacted authorities. Investigators then connected the information to the Mission Beach restaurant.
Federal agents received information in September indicating that Williams was living in San Diego under a false identity. They eventually located him at a business in the 3700 block of Mission Boulevard, where marshals arrested him 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 in connection with the 2012 attack.
News Outlet contacted the U.S. Marshals Service and representatives of Miss B’s Coconut Club seeking additional comment.
Miss B’s Coconut Club in San Diego’s Mission Beach, where U.S. Marshals arrested fugitive Brian Anthony Williams on Oct. 6, 2026, after authorities said he had lived under an assumed identity for years. (Google Maps)
Jurado said the arrest has been difficult for restaurant employees, who are now trying to reconcile the serious allegations with the colleague and friend they believed they knew.
“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.”
