A 26-year-old Goleta man was booked on attempted murder charges after allegedly hitting his roommate in the head with an unsharpened sword on Monday, August 23. The injured roommate called Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s dispatch around 12:40 p.m., saying the suspect was in a house near Tecolote and Aguila avenues in the city’s Old Town neighborhood.
When the suspect, Halbert Rodriguez, refused to leave the home, a canine and handler, air support, special enforcement team, and crisis intervention team joined deputies at the scene. With help from Rodriguez’s mother, the suspect was convinced to be taken into custody after about an hour had passed. He was treated for minor injuries and booked at the jail. The victim was taken to the hospital and is expected to recover.