Yet another officer-involved shooting took place in Santa Maria late Monday night, leaving a suspected robber armed with a gun dead after a low-speed chase.
Authorities haven’t released the name of the man.
According to the Sheriff’s Department, which is investigating the shooting, deputies responded to a 9-1-1 call in the 200 block of Broadway Avenue where the alleged victim said she was being threatened by a man with a gun. Deputies arrived to find the man at a gas station, and he told them he was armed and had guns in his vehicle. He proceeded to lead officers from the California Highway Patrol, Santa Maria Police Department, and the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department on a low-speed chase through Santa Maria, until he brought his vehicle to a stop at the north end of Preisker Lane.
According to a press release, the man threw several guns out of his car and shortly after got out of his car, picked up a gun and confronted officers. “That is when shots were fired killing the suspect,” said Sgt. Mark Williams in the press release.
What isn’t clear is which officers from what agency shot at the man.
Detectives from the Sheriff’s Department will investigate the shooting, Williams said, to “determine the circumstances of the incident, including how many shots were fired and by whom.”
The shooting marks the sixth officer-involved shooting in Santa Barbara County this year, according to reports.