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SANTA BARBARA, CA – November 10, 2026
On November 10, 2026, around 7:30 a.m., Santa Barbara Police Officers responded to the area of Garden St. and East Cabrillo Blvd. for a report of a subject who had just committed a battery.
Upon arrival, officers located the suspect near Calle Cesar Chavez and the beachfront. While attempting to contact the subject, he fled into the ocean, entered a drainage culvert, and refused to surrender or comply with officers’ commands.
Santa Barbara Fire Department Rescue Swimmers and Santa Barbara Harbor Patrol assisted during this incident. Additionally, members of the Santa Barbara Police Crisis Negotiation Response Team and the Co-Response Mental Health Assessment Team were also on scene.
The subject refused to exit the ocean for approximately four hours despite all attempts by first responders. Eventually, officers entered the ocean and safely took the subject into custody without further incident.
The subject was identified as 31-year-old Leonardo Silvestre Castro, of Santa Barbara. He was transported to Cottage Hospital for a medical evaluation and was later transported to Santa Barbara County Jail, where he was booked on several misdemeanor and a felony charges.
