Multi-Day Manhunt Ends in Arrest After Goleta Standoff

A multi-day manhunt that stretched from eastern Goleta to Santa Barbara came to an end late Thursday night with the arrest of a man who authorities say rammed a deputy’s patrol vehicle and fled earlier this week.

Anthony Torres Lopez Jr., 40, of Santa Barbara was taken into custody at approximately 11:23 p.m. near Bath and Carrillo streets following what the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office described as a coordinated search involving detectives, a K-9 unit, air support, and the department’s Special Enforcement and Crisis Negotiations teams.

During the search, investigators identified a residence associated with Lopez in the 700 block of Camino Cascada in Goleta, where deputies served a warrant Thursday afternoon.

“Torres-Lopez was known to carry bear spray and was considered unlikely to surrender peacefully,” said Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Raquel Zick in a statement.

Lopez was not located at the residence, but the operation prompted a large law enforcement presence in the area, including what witnesses described as an armored vehicle and an apparent standoff. The Sheriff’s Office issued a public advisory that Camino Cascada and Cathedral Oaks Road were closed to traffic “for safety and to allow access for responders,” while a nearby after-school program was placed in a precautionary hold.

The search continued into the evening, culminating hours later with Lopez’s arrest in Santa Barbara.

The incident began Tuesday evening when deputies responded to a report of a suspicious individual inside a vehicle at the Patterson Place Apartments. During the initial contact, authorities say Lopez “deliberately reversed his BMW into the deputy’s patrol vehicle” before driving onto a sidewalk and pedestrian walkway and eventually fleeing on foot. As previously reported, Lopez had been the subject of an active manhunt since Tuesday, when he evaded deputies following the vehicle collision.

He was booked into the Santa Barbara County Main Jail on multiple outstanding warrants, including a violation of probation and a Ramey warrant for felony possession of tear gas, as well as an additional charge of possession of narcotics for sale. He is being held without bail.