A tattoo artist at a San Antonio shop has been accused of sexual assault after allegedly posing as the owner and assaulting a woman during a tattoo session, according to the shop’s actual owner.
James Dunn, the owner of Tattoo Monkey studio on the Southwest Side, confirmed that he fired tattoo artist Joe “Joe Loco” Sanchez after learning about the allegations. The woman, who accused Sanchez of assault, posted about the incident on social media, sparking other women to come forward with similar complaints about his behavior.
According to a report filed with the San Antonio Police Department on December 10, the alleged assault occurred on December 9 at Tattoo Monkey, located at 7903 SW Loop 410, Ste. 113. The victim detailed her experience in a post on social media, warning others about Sanchez.
“Hey girls, just wanted to share my experience at Tattoo Monkey on the SW side,” the woman wrote, specifically calling out Sanchez by his social media handle, @joelocotattoos. “Do NOT go to this man for tattoos.”
In response to the allegations, Tattoo Monkey’s official Instagram account confirmed that Sanchez was not the shop’s owner and announced his termination on December 10.
Dunn told the Express-News that he was unaware of any misconduct at the shop until he received messages and saw the victim’s detailed social media post. He said he immediately confronted Sanchez upon learning about the allegations.
“Somebody started spamming the shop page,” Dunn said. “I started receiving more information, and then I saw a very detailed post where an 18-year-old female was explaining some serious allegations.”
Dunn then called Sanchez, who appeared nervous, according to Dunn.
“You could tell he was nervous,” Dunn said. “You could tell it in his voice. He was kind of fumbling his words.”
With more messages flooding in, Dunn decided to terminate Sanchez immediately.
“I said, ‘I need you to come over here, you need to pick up your stuff,'” Dunn said. “‘You’re done. You’re done. These are serious allegations.'”
Following the victim’s post, several other women came forward with similar allegations against Sanchez. The 18-year-old woman who first spoke out expressed her disbelief and fear following the incident.
“I’m still in denial about the situation,” she wrote in a follow-up post. “I was scared and just wanted it to be over, that’s why I didn’t do anything in the moment.”
San Antonio Police are currently investigating the matter.
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