Thursday, January 24, 2013

One of two suspects arrested after a standoff resulting from an incorrect fast-food order earlier this month is facing a new federal charge.

Last week, 24-year-old Sean C. Costa of Wichita was charged in federal court with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm after a felony conviction.

On the morning of January 9, Costa and a co-defendant are believed to have ordered food at a McDonald's drive-thru at 6350 W. Kellogg in West Wichita.

As the pair were driving away, police said they realized their order was wrong, turned around and tried to cut in the drive-thru lane.

At that point, words were exchanged between occupants of the two cars, and Costa allegedly stepped out of his vehicle and fired a shotgun at the other. The blast struck between the driver's side front and back door of the victim's car. No one was hurt.

Police responded and tracked the car to a home in the 2400 block of Newell. Costa and a woman were taken into custody several hours later.

Officers later served a search warrant inside the home, and found a Mossberg pump-action shotgun in a crawl space next to Costa's bed, but he told investigators that he didn't fire the gun at McDonald's.

Costa was charged federally due to a prior felony conviction of aggravated assault in 2011. That conviction prohibits him from possession a firearm under federal law.

If convicted on the new charge, he faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000.

Costa and 27-year-old Melissa Palacios are also facing charges in district court.

On January 11, each were charged with four counts of aggravated assault and one count of criminal possession of a firearm.

The preliminary hearing for Costa and Palacios on those charges is currently scheduled for January 24.