Starbucks Barista Fired Over Pig Drawing On Cup 'Unintentionally' Served To LASD Deputy: Report

NORWALK, CA — Starbucks has fired a barista accused of drawing a pig on a coffee cup served to a deputy with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the New York Post reported Monday.

Jaci Anderson, Starbucks’ director of global communications, told the news outlet the deputy was not intentionally given the cup but that it was instead the result of a “series of unfortunate events.

Nonetheless, the worker has been fired, she told the news outlet.

"This was unacceptable. We have reached out to the customer several times and leaders in the Sheriff’s Department to apologize," a Starbucks spokesperson said in an emailed statement to Patch. "We immediately launched an investigation and are taking swift action to address this. We have a deep appreciation and respect for law enforcement, who are dedicated to keeping our communities safe."

A deputy stopped for a coffee at a Starbucks in Norwalk on Friday, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said in a written statement.

While he was there, the deputy “was deliberately served a cup bearing a hand-drawn image of a pig, which is commonly used to demean law enforcement,” according to the sheriff’s department.

“This action was extremely offensive, inappropriate, and unacceptable,” the department wrote. “The deputy quickly reported the incident to the store manager, who advised that the matter would be investigated.”

After learning about the incident, Sheriff Robert Luna reported the incident to the “coffee company's corporate security division to formally raise concerns and to ensure accountability,” the sheriff's department said.

“Our deputies are part of the community and deserve to be treated respectfully and with basic human dignity,” the sheriff’s department wrote. “Acts that promote hostility and division toward law enforcement undermine community trust and public safety.”

The drawing, a meme known as “John Pork,” was not meant to be given to the deputy intentionally, Anderson said. Rather, the worker had been drawing on cups throughout the day to cheer up coworkers, and the deputy was unintentionally served the cup with the meme.

John Pork is a virtual influencer with a large social media following on TikTok and Instagram. The account has inspired a series of viral memes, according to the Daily Mail

"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," a Starbucks spokesperson said. "Every customer should always be made to feel welcome in our stores."

Read the full report on The New York Post.