RivCo Deputies Claim They Were Refused Service At Starbucks

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Two Riverside County sheriff's deputies claim they were refused service at a Starbucks in Riverside, the department said Friday evening.

The uniformed deputies went into the unidentified Starbucks location about 11 p.m. Thursday and were ignored by workers for at least five minutes, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

"The anti police culture repeatedly displayed by Starbucks employees must end," Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco tweeted Friday evening.

A Starbucks spokesperson said the deputies were not refused service, but that employees were not attentive.

"There is simply no excuse for how the two deputies were ignored," Starbucks spokesperson Reggie Borges said. "We're deeply sorry for that."

The employees on duty were not being scheduled to work while the company investigated the allegation, according to the company.

"We really want to connect with the two deputies, apologize directly, and hear their stories," Borges said. "We take full responsibility for any intentional or unintentional disrespect to law enforcement."

—City News Service

#StarbucksIncident
We are aware of the “cop with no coffee” incident that occurred in Riverside on 12/12/19, involving our @RSO deputies. We are in communication w/ @Starbucks Corporate addressing the issue of deputies being denied service. #copwithnocoffee #starbucks
— Riverside County Sheriff's Dept (@RSO) December 13, 2019