3 more arrests in killing of Camarillo bystander
SANTA BARBARA — Authorities said three new suspects, all juveniles, were arrested Thursday in connection with December’s fatal shooting of a bystander from Camarillo at Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara.
The Santa Barbara Police Department’s latest update now counts Ventura County residents among the suspects.
Previously, four men, all in their early 20s, were arrested in January in the Santa Barbara area along with a teen.
Thursday’s arrests involved search and arrest warrants served at multiple locations in Ventura and Los Angeles counties, Santa Barbara police said. Several other agencies assisted.
A firearm was recovered during Thursday’s operation but police don’t yet know if it was the gun used in the shooting.
On Friday, the District Attorney’s office said charges had been filed against the three teens arrested Thursday. Two, age 15, were charged with murder and the special allegation they discharged a firearm proximately causing death. The third, age 16, was charged with being an accessory to murder after the fact and illegal possession of an unregistered gun. The three were said to be in custody and scheduled for arraignment in Santa Maria Juvenile Court on Tuesday. The teens’ genders and cities of residence were not provided.
The incident took place around 8:40 p.m. on Dec. 9 when the victim, Camarillo resident Robert Gutierrez, 52, was walking with his wife along Stearns Wharf, a popular area where State Street converges with the beach at Cabrillo Boulevard.
Gutierrez, described by police as an innocent bystander, was struck by one of the rounds fired during an altercation between two groups. He died Dec. 20 at a Santa Barbara hospital.
Police say one of the groups included residents of the Santa Barbara area with ties to a street gang in that city.
The opposing group was reportedly comprised of Ventura County residents with ties to Ventura County street gangs, the department said Thursday.
Anyone with information about the homicide is asked to call the department’s detective bureau at 805-897-2347.
20-plus pounds of meth, other drugs seized
3 more arrests in killing of Camarillo bystander
SANTA BARBARA — Authorities said three new suspects, all juveniles, were arrested Thursday in connection with December’s fatal shooting of a bystander from Camarillo at Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara.
The Santa Barbara Police Department’s latest update now counts Ventura County residents among the suspects.
Previously, four men, all in their early 20s, were arrested in January in the Santa Barbara area along with a teen.
Thursday’s arrests involved search and arrest warrants served at multiple locations in Ventura and Los Angeles counties, Santa Barbara police said. Several other agencies assisted.
A firearm was recovered during Thursday’s operation but police don’t yet know if it was the gun used in the shooting.
On Friday, the District Attorney’s office said charges had been filed against the three teens arrested Thursday. Two, age 15, were charged with murder and the special allegation they discharged a firearm proximately causing death. The third, age 16, was charged with being an accessory to murder after the fact and illegal possession of an unregistered gun. The three were said to be in custody and scheduled for arraignment in Santa Maria Juvenile Court on Tuesday. The teens’ genders and cities of residence were not provided.
The incident took place around 8:40 p.m. on Dec. 9 when the victim, Camarillo resident Robert Gutierrez, 52, was walking with his wife along Stearns Wharf, a popular area where State Street converges with the beach at Cabrillo Boulevard.
Gutierrez, described by police as an innocent bystander, was struck by one of the rounds fired during an altercation between two groups. He died Dec. 20 at a Santa Barbara hospital.
Police say one of the groups included residents of the Santa Barbara area with ties to a street gang in that city.
The opposing group was reportedly comprised of Ventura County residents with ties to Ventura County street gangs, the department said Thursday.
Anyone with information about the homicide is asked to call the department’s detective bureau at 805-897-2347.
20-plus pounds of meth, other drugs seized
In all, detectives confiscated more than 21 pounds of meth, about 4 ounces of fentanyl, 3 ounces of heroin and the counterfeit pills, which were believed to be fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid. In addition, cash and two handguns were also seized. Sheriff’s officials said the 208 grams of opioids involved amounted to about 5,200 doses.
The case was submitted to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for filing consideration.
Teen’s alleged graffiti spree lasted months
THOUSAND OAKS — Authorities say they arrested a Thousand Oaks teen whose graffiti has marred city and private property since December.
The 15-year-old male allegedly spray-painted walls of city buildings and private apartment complexes as well as tables, benches and walls at city parks, according to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, which is contracted for police services in Thousand Oaks.
The graffiti included both individual monikers and wording consistent with local gangs, said Deputy Weston Price. The teen’s alleged activities were carried out over a two-month period and were readily visible along the city’s main streets and thoroughfares, he said.
The estimated property damage totaled more than $2,000, sheriff’s officials said.
Detectives working the case were ultimately able to identify the teen as the suspect. During a probation search of his home, they reportedly found additional evidence linking him to the graffiti vandalism. The youth was arrested on suspicion of graffiti vandalism for benefit of a street gang and was housed at county juvenile hall.