Santa Maria man gets 7-year prison term for violent attack on fast-food worker

A California man has been sentenced to seven years in state prison after a violent, unprovoked attack on a 19-year-old fast-food employee outside a restaurant in Santa Maria, authorities said.

Chick-fil-A Enos Ranch employee Clayton Peavey, 31, pleaded guilty to felony assault with a deadly weapon and a special allegation of causing great bodily injury, according to the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office. He was sentenced in Santa Barbara Superior Court.

The case stemmed from a March 2 incident in which the victim, a 19-year-old employee identified as Jane Doe, was working at the restaurant’s drive-through around 11:49 a.m. when the attack occurred.

Prosecutors said Peavey approached the employee from behind while she was taking an order and suddenly raised a concrete brick over his head before striking her without warning.

Authorities said the first blow shattered the brick on impact. As the victim fell to the ground and attempted to protect herself, Peavey allegedly continued striking her multiple times in the head and hand with the remaining fragments before walking away.

The victim suffered head lacerations requiring stitches, a concussion, and broken bones in her hand, officials said.

Santa Maria police officers were flagged down near the restaurant shortly after the attack. The suspect had fled the scene but was later located in nearby agricultural fields and taken into custody without incident.

He was initially booked on suspicion of attempted murder before the charges were later resolved through a guilty plea.

District Attorney John T. Savrnoch said the sentence represents accountability for a “brutal and unprovoked violent act,” though he acknowledged that it cannot undo the trauma suffered by the victim.

Authorities said the investigation was handled by the Santa Maria Police Department in coordination with the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office.