Hesperia Man Faces Up to 50 Years Sentence for Taking Firearm into Restaurant

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – If convicted of both charges, a Hesperia man may face up to 50 years in prison for taking an assault rifle into the BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse in Victorville.

Francisco Alvarado Felix, a 32-year-old convicted felon allegedly took the rifle into the restaurant after employees refused to serve him an alcoholic beverage. Felix was indicted on federal firearms and methamphetamine charges. Felix was in Federal court today and pleaded not guilty on Friday, March 15, 2019, on the two-count indictment. The indictment includes on a felony charge of the possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. Felix was initially indicted in January on one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

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Felix allegedly at around 1:00 a.m. on December 29, 2019, was at BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse, located at 11600 Amargosa Road in the City of Victorville. Felix was in the company of his girlfriend at the time of the incident. He attempted to order an alcoholic beverage, but due to not having the proper identification, he was not served. Later, when Felix was seen sipping on his girlfriend’s drink, the restaurant’s manager warned him that he was not allowed to drink alcohol without the proper identification. In addition, the manager warned that if he was seen drinking again, he would be forced to leave the restaurant.

He then left the restaurant but returned to the manager opening the door for him after it being locked due to the time. Felix removed a black rifle from under a blanket, according to the court documents. The manager ran out of the restaurant after seeing the rifle, and Felix allegedly followed the manager out of the lobby door. The manager slammed the door on the rifle and was able to grab the weapon. “While the two men struggled for control of the rifle, a round was discharged into the ground just in front of the restaurant,” the affidavit stated. “Felix then pushed the manager to the ground and fled the scene in a dark-colored SUV, leaving his girlfriend behind to be interviewed by law enforcement officials.”

A search warrant was served at Felix’s Hesperia home. During the search, around 37 grams of methamphetamine packaged in two baggies was found. Inside Felix’s Lincoln Navigator SUV deputies found a black Smith & Wesson model M&P – an AR-15-type rifle with a filled 30-round magazine and a with a round in the chamber. Felix admitted for being upset for being denied the alcoholic beverage and he said that he went back out to his car to retrieve his identification. Rather than grabbing the identification, he grabbed the rifle, claiming he just wanted to scare the manager.

Felix was previously convicted of felony DUI and three felony possession of intent to sell methamphetamine charges in San Bernardino County. He is scheduled to return to Federal Court on August 20, 2019.