Santa Rosa restaurant owner suspected of shooting at man over bill dispute

By Jose Fabian

Santa Rosa Police said a restaurant owner was arrested as a suspect in a shooting that happened at his business on Sunday morning.

Offices were called to the Dos Culturas Restaurant, at 1709 Santa Rosa Avenue, just after 4 a.m. for a report of a possible shooting.

When they arrived, they found that a gun had been fired during an assault but that no one was struck, and they identified the suspect as 48-year-old Moises Flores, the owner of Dos Culturas.

According to police, Flores and the 37-year-old male victim had been drinking inside the restaurant when a dispute broke out over a bill. The dispute turned into a physical confrontation, which was continued outside, and during the confrontation, police said Flores returned inside to retrieve a gun.

He then shot at the victim but missed and struck the window of an occupied vehicle, police said.

The woman inside the car was not injured, and the male victim had minor injuries from the confrontation.

Police said they arrested Flores on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, shooting at an occupied vehicle, violation of probation and felon in possession of a gun. According to police, Flores is on probation from a 2023 conviction for gun and DUI violations and is prohibited from possessing a gun and from drinking alcohol.

Officers at the scene recovered a .357 revolver and live ammunition in the restaurant’s kitchen, police said.

Flores was booked into the Sonoma County Jail, and police are still looking for witnesses.