An 18-year-old suspected gang member was arrested Wednesday afternoon for carrying a loaded pistol on the Eastside. The arrest came as part of a saturation effort by police around Santa Barbara High School and the Milpas Street corridor, focusing on juvenile and gang-related activity during the lunch hour and after-school hours.
Officers stopped Miguel Ramirez along with a 17-year-old on 1000 East Montecito Street, suspecting them of being truant from school. The 17-year-old was, in fact, truant while Ramirez, who is not a student, is alleged to be a gang member and was “patted down for officer safety,” according to a news release. Police found a loaded single-shot .22 caliber pistol in a jacket pocket and more rounds of ammunition in his pants, authorities said. He was arrested and booked into Santa Barbara County Jail.
Wednesday’s operation netted two citations for possession of marijuana, two for truancy, and a citation for possession of tobacco by a minor.
Officers also stopped 42-year-old David Bogard for riding his bicycle on the sidewalk at 600 East De La Guerra Street, and allegedly found him to be in possession of a hypodermic syringe and “several implements commonly used in the commission of burglaries.”