A chaotic scene unfolded Friday morning on South La Cumbre Road when a man allegedly fired a weapon at a Santa Barbara police officer, striking the officer in the head with what was later determined to be a .177 caliber BB from an air gun. The man, identified as 30-year-old Mitchell Grant Grote, then fled into La Cumbre Plaza and attempted to barricade himself in a mall bathroom before being arrested, according to witnesses and the SBPD.
Grote was charged with aggravated mayhem, assault upon a peace officer, battery with injury upon a peace officer, and resisting an executive officer. Additionally, he was charged with several special allegations, including use of a deadly weapon, infliction of great bodily injury, and committing a criminal offense while on felony probation.
When the shooting incident occurred, Grote was nearly 11 months into a five-year probation term following a felony assault conviction. The assault took place in January 2023, when Grote, who was homeless at the time of the offense, stabbed another transient individual in the neck.
Grote pled guilty to the charge of assault with a deadly weapon, as well as the special allegation of personal infliction of great bodily injury. By the time of his sentencing in June 2025, Grote had served 871 days in the Santa Barbara County Jail and accrued an additional 870 days of good time and work time credits. As a result, he was released from custody, having well exceeded the 365 days of confinement he was sentenced to in addition to probation.
Grote’s felony conviction is considered a prior strike under California’s “three-strike” law, meaning he is likely to face harsher penalties if convicted of his current charges.
On Friday morning around 9:50 a.m., a police officer approached Grote on South La Cumbre Road, near O’Reilly Auto Parts. According to SBPD, Grote fired multiple shots from “what appeared to be a handgun” at the officer, who shot one round at Grote in response. The officer was hit by a projectile from Grote’s weapon, taken to Cottage Hospital, and released later that day. An eyewitness said the officer’s head wound appeared minor. Grote was not struck by the officer’s gunfire.
The incident has been labeled an “officer-involved shooting” by SBPD.
A photo of the weapon recovered at the scene shows an airgun that closely resembles a real firearm. The weapon appears to be the “Brodax .177 Caliber BB Revolver,” an air gun manufactured by German air gun company Umarex that retails for $39.99. Air guns can be considered deadly weapons under California legal code, depending on the circumstances in which they are used; it is illegal to display a so-called “imitation firearm” in a public place.
Multiple sources who work near the site of the shooting said Grote is transient and was known to spend time in the South La Cumbre Road area. According to Kevin Weichbrod, Supervising Deputy District Attorney for the County of Santa Barbara, it is not unusual that Grote was experiencing homelessness while serving his probation term.
“That happens all of the time,” said Weichbrod, who supervised Grote’s stabbing case and is the filing deputy on Grote’s current case. “Depending on the circumstances of the crime, we’ll advocate for residential treatment, sober living, things like that. But it’s not necessarily a requirement of any probation.”
