Woman Witnesses Man Masturbating Inside Davis Coffee Shop

DAVIS (CBS13) - A woman sat down for cup of coffee at a Davis coffee shop when she got a glimpse of something she never expected to see - a man masturbating at a table nearby.

"I sat there for a minute and I thought 'Did I really just see that," the woman said.

Jennifer was at the Common Grounds coffee shop on Cowell Boulevard when she says she witnessed a man masturbating.

"My first reaction was shock," she said. "I didn't know how to handle the situation and I didn't know if it was going to escalate from there either."

So for the next few minutes, she tried to act like she was texting and instead used her phone to snap a photo. It showed more than just his face. CBS13 had to crop the part that shows him caught in the act.

She wasn't quite sure what to do next.

"That honestly was probably my first instinct, was I should just leave, this is disgusting, I don't have to sit here," she said. "And then I thought, 'He is going to continue doing this today and who knows there may be a little kid who comes and sits down here next.'"

So she alerted the store owner, but in the process of calling police, the suspect took off.

Now all investigators have to go on is the photo, hoping someone will recognize him.

"Our concern is that the suspect in this case is very brazen in his actions and it is a very public place," Det. James MacNiven said.

It certainly wasn't what Jennifer expected to see at a coffee shop.

"It was repulsive and I can't believe it happened and I had to live through that," she said.

The man is described as being in his mid 50s. Police say a person at the shop did serve him coffee and it's possible the man has an Eastern European accent.

Again, so far this is the only incident reported, and Jennifer says she'd never see the man in the coffee store before. She certainly hopes she never sees him again.