A worker at a Los Angeles-area Starbucks has been fired after a sheriff’s deputy was given a cup with an “offensive” drawing of a pig on it, a derogatory symbol that has long been used to demean law enforcement.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputy was on a 16-hour shift and just looking to get some caffeine to keep him going when he stopped off at the Starbucks location at Firestone Boulevard and Pioneer Boulevard in Norwalk on Jan. 9, only to be handed the cup with the hand-drawn pig on it, a gesture that he called “discouraging and disrespectful.”
After being handed the pig cup, the deputy immediately reported it to the manager of the store, who said the incident would be investigated.
“It felt discouraging and disrespectful, especially after a long day of serving the community,” he wrote in a post to his personal social media account, according to KTLA. “All I wanted was caffeine, but instead I left feeling uneasy.”
In a statement posted on social media, L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna said “disrespectful actions will not tolerated against our personnel,” and that he had contacted Starbucks’ corporate security division. Full Story: https://t.co/anUZbkboJS pic.twitter.com/pI0y3bttgM
— KTLA (@KTLA) January 12, 2026
“The Department is aware and deeply concerned about an incident that occurred at the local coffee shop in the city of Norwalk on Friday, January 9th, in which a deputy, who had stopped for coffee, was deliberately served a cup bearing a hand-drawn image of a pig, which is commonly used to demean law enforcement,” the LASD said in a statement.
“This action was extremely offensive, inappropriate, and unacceptable,” the statement read. “The deputy quickly reported the incident to the store manager, who advised that the matter would be investigated.”
The statement added that after learning about the incident, the sheriff “immediately escalated the matter and contacted an individual in the coffee company’s corporate security division to formally raise concerns and to ensure accountability.”
(Video Credit: KTLA)
Starbucks addressed the company’s latest public relations problem by calling the incident “unacceptable” and apologizing to Longoria and the LASD, but said that the cup wasn’t intended for the deputy but rather was a drawing of “John Pork” meant as an internal morale booster.
“This was unacceptable. We have reached out to the customer several times and to leaders in the Sheriff’s Department to apologize,” Starbucks’ director of global communications said. “Every customer should always be made to feel welcome in our stores.”
Anderson said that the “John Pork” cup had been drawn hours before and was not meant for customers.
“The drawing, a popular meme with no connection to law enforcement, was never intended to be delivered to any customer — and it should not have been,” the company spokesperson explained.
“John Pork” is a popular Internet and social media meme depicting a character with a human body and a pig’s head.
The barista has since been shown the door. The company said that the location and its staff were not represented by a union.
“We hope this was an isolated incident and not reflective of the community values on which Starbucks was founded,” Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs President Richard Pippin said in a statement.
“We have a deep appreciation and respect for law enforcement, who are dedicated to keeping our communities safe,” the Starbucks spokesperson said.
“Our deputies serve this community with professionalism, dedication, and commitment, often under difficult and dangerous circumstances. Our deputies are part of the community and deserve to be treated respectfully and with basic human dignity. Acts that promote hostility and division toward law enforcement undermine community trust and public safety,” the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.
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