Stanford Shopping Center Drive-By Shooting Suspect Arrested

PALO ALTO, CA — A South Bay man was arrested in connection with Monday’s drive-by shooting at a Stanford Shopping Center restaurant, Palo Alto police said.

Zachary Michael Ginsberg, 32 of San José, was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of attempted murder and shooting at an occupied building and booked into Santa Clara County Main Jail, according to police.

No one was struck and no injuries were reported in connection with the shooting, which happened outside Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse at 180 El Camino Real.

Ginsberg is a former employee of the restaurant targeted in Monday’s shooting, police said.

His arrest culminated an investigation that began when officers at around 4:25 p.m. Monday responded to the shopping center on the report of a shooting by a Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse employee, police said.

Responding officers confirmed that a large plate glass window near the restaurant’s front door had been struck by gunfire while the restaurant was open with customers inside, police said. An additional shot was fired at unoccupied parked vehicle nearby.

A witness reported seeing the suspect extending a handgun out the driver’s window of a black Chevrolet Camaro as it headed northbound on El Camino Real in front of the restaurant, police said.

The witness could not describe the suspect.

Ginsberg was identified as the suspect after investigators determined he was an ex-employee of the restaurant who had recently been sending threatening text messages to his former supervisor over an interpersonal conflict, police said.

At about 9:55 a.m. Tuesday detectives arrested Ginsberg in the 2600 block of Augustine Drive in Santa Clara, police said.

Authorities also processed the suspect’s black 2018 Chevrolet Camaro for evidence at that location.

Detectives later recovered a 9mm unserialized ghost gun believed to be used during the crime in a search of the suspect’s home in the 300 block of Crescent Village Circle in San José, police said.

“Police believe the suspect was acting alone, and there is no evidence that anyone else was in his vehicle with him during the crime,” police said in a statement.

“The suspect’s former supervisor was at work at the restaurant at the time of the shooting.”

Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the PAPD’s 24-hour dispatch center at (650) 329-2413. Anonymous tips can be e-mailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or sent via text message or voice mail to (650) 383-8984.