A verbal altercation turned violent this weekend when a Santa Barbara man allegedly stabbed another man in the neck with a ballpoint pen.
The assault was reported on March 30 around 11:30 a.m. on the 800 block of Cacique Street, where arriving officers found the victim and the suspect still on the scene, according to a press release from Santa Barbara Police Department. The two men knew each other and “had a recent history of verbal altercations,” police say.
According to the victim, the suspect, 37-year-old Santa Barbara resident Jeffrey Wojcik, started a verbal argument with him that led to the stabbing. After the victim and Wojcik separated, the victim asked bystanders to call 9-1-1.
The victim was taken to Cottage Hospital and treated for his non-life-threatening injury. Wojcik was booked into County Jail for assault with a deadly weapon with force likely to cause great bodily injury. According to county records, Wojcik has been released on $50,000 bail.
The block where the crime occurred has emerged in recent months as a hotspot for calls for services, with police increasing their presence in the area due to ongoing community concern over reports of open drug use and trading, physical fights, and dangerous mental-health episodes.
