Murder Suspect Was out on Bail at Time of Fatal Fiesta Stabbing

The fatal stabbing over Fiesta weekend has the community raising questions.

Anthony Bisquera Hartley, 30, lost his life in the incident, which occurred just after midnight on Friday, August 1. His family described him as a goofy and easygoing guy, and a devout father of his three young children, ages 5, 8, and 10.

In a recent statement, his mother, Karen Bisquera, and his siblings said they are trying to “piece together the events surrounding the untimely end of his life.”

They emphasized that he was not a gang member and was never involved in gang activity, unlike the two men being charged with his murder. A sidewalk memorial featuring flowers, beers, and candles was created for him where the stabbing occurred downtown, next to Baja Sharkeez. However, the family clarified he did not die on the street, but after he was “finally given support and taken to the hospital, where several medical professionals worked tirelessly to revive his life.”

“We remain in shock and are deeply grieving while we plan for the memorial service he rightly deserves,” the family wrote. “Anthony deserves peace.” As a family, they added, “we need peace, and we will need justice.”

Inquiries and allegations are now circulating around the community: How many officers were stationed on the lower blocks of State Street? How quickly did they respond? Was it enough? Was Bisquera Hartley given proper and timely medical attention? Could he have been saved?

And, perhaps most strikingly, why was murder suspect Juan Fernando Rios out on bail for a separate offense when he has a history of violent crimes? 

According to court records, Rios, 28, previously faced charges in connection to two other felony stabbings, one in 2018 and one in 2013. The 2018 incident was on the 600 block of State Street, a street down from the recent stabbing on the 500 block. 

In connection to the recent incident, Rios’s charges include committing the crime while he was out on bail for a separate felony offense. He is being charged alongside 30-year-old Sergio Rivas and 29-year-old Luis Gerado Terrazas. Rivas faces the most charges, including the murder of Bisquera Hartley, while Terrazas is being charged with the attempted murder of Rivas. All three are accused of committing the crimes to benefit a criminal street gang.

District Attorney John Savrnoch’s announcement of the charges included the July 26, 2025, arrest of Rios, just a week before the stabbings, for which Rios faces charges including driving under the influence, being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, and carrying a loaded firearm in public. Given his probationary status on a prior stabbing felony, he was barred from possessing a handgun, let alone walking around with one. He is also a registered gang member.

However, for the July arrest, Rios was able to secure a bail bond to post bail for $35,000. (For reference, he is currently in custody with a bail set at $2.4 million.)

As to how a high-risk individual could be released on bail: It is a decision based on the court’s bail schedule amounts, and often does not take into account the full risk picture, court sources told the Independent. 

Some people who commit only minor offenses may struggle to post bail. But it is not always easy to keep higher-risk people behind bars when they can afford to get out.

Rios bailed out the same day he was arrested on July 26, and the DUI and weapons case was scheduled for a September court hearing, Savrnoch told the Independent. When asked why Rios — considering his background of prior convictions in violent crimes — was allowed to post bail, Savrnoch said, “The issue is: I can’t react to that which I don’t know exists.” The bail amount was set and posted prior to the District Attorney’s office receiving the case for filing consideration.

Before Rios walked, authorities apparently were not able to complete a pretrial risk assessment, which could have informed them on his likelihood to commit another crime or fail to appear in court.

These past two stabbings on the 500 and 600 blocks of State Street were not isolated incidents, either. Prior to this year’s Fiesta, the most recent State Street stabbing appears to have been in March 2023, again on the 500 block. Both reportedly began as fights that escalated.

That’s led people to question whether there were enough first responders present on that block during the city’s busiest block party this year, considering its history. 

Cell phone videos have circulated on social media showing parts of the fight and its aftermath. People can be seen yelling to responders to help victims. In one, officers can be seen applying pressure to a victim’s torso while people point and yell, “He’s wounded!” or ask where an ambulance is. Other witnesses and community members have taken to social media to criticize the speed of the police department’s response, particularly in aiding the bleeding victims. While the two other victims who were injured in the stabbing are expected to make a full recovery, some claim that Bisquera Hartley was essentially allowed to “bleed out.” 

At the time of the report, “officers were already in the process of assisting an intoxicated subject in front of Joe’s, but immediately broke away when a witness started yelling that someone had a knife, while pointing farther down the block,” said Charles Katsapis, community accountability commander for the Santa Barbara Police Department. He said the first officers reached the victims in less than a minute after being alerted. 

There were six officers on foot patrol for the 400-600 blocks of State Street, six more were elsewhere on State Street, and two more specially assigned because it was Fiesta, he said.

“We maintain a high level of visual presence of uniformed officers on State Street, especially during peak hours during Fiesta,” he said. “Bystanders didn’t see lights and sirens from responding officers because they were all on foot patrol.”

He added that officers “immediately applied direct pressure” to the three victims’ bleeding stab wounds and “coordinated triage between victims while relaying critical information to incoming paramedics and firefighters.” He said Santa Barbara Fire and AMR arrived and took over within three minutes of the initial call. The first AMR unit on scene had to declare a Multi-Casualty Incident (MCI), enacted when the number of patients exceeds EMS personnel on scene.

Despite stabbings reported on the same blocks in previous years, when asked about the frequency of violent crimes in the area, he said, “While the lower State Street entertainment corridor can attract large crowds and occasionally generate disturbance calls, violent assaults such as stabbings are rare. Incidents of this magnitude are not common, and each case is thoroughly investigated to identify suspects, determine motives, and prevent retaliatory acts.”

“We understand that tragedies like this create fear, frustration, and sometimes misinformation in the community,” he continued. “This was a chaotic scene, with hundreds of people on State Street during a busy Fiesta night, requiring officers to make split-second decisions while working to protect lives, secure the area, and ensure public safety under extremely challenging circumstances.”

Ultimately, still, a family is left without a “father, son, brother, cousin, grandson,” as their statement read. Their GoFundMe is still active and taking donations, and after covering Bisquera Hartley’s funeral expenses, it will be used to help take care of his three children. 

“Anthony’s three young ones who have four generations to envelop them with love,” the family said.

The three men being charged in connection with the case entered pleas of not guilty on August 8. The first preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled for August 19. 

Nick Welsh contributed reporting to this story.