Citizen Performing CPR in Santa Barbara Mistaken for an Assault

On March 2, a 9-1-1 call reported an ongoing assault in downtown Santa Barbara that turned out to be a case of a Good Samaritan attempting to revive a person lying on the ground.

When Santa Barbara police officers arrived around 5 p.m. to the scene on the 900 block of Chapala Street, they found an individual attempting CPR for a man, who was not responding. Santa Barbara City Fire as well as AMR paramedics on scene performed CPR for about 30 minutes before the man was declared dead. The incident is being investigated, and there is no clear cause of death. The man’s name is being withheld until his nearest relative is notified.