Santa Maria Police arrest 23-year-old in connection with February 1 shooting
SANTA MARIA, Calif. – Officers with the Santa Maria Police Department (SMPD) arrested a 23-year-old in connection with a shooting on Feb. 1 that resulted in a 15-year-old being hospitalized.
On Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024, around 3:15 a.m., officers were dispatched to a reported shooting in the 800 block of Stanford Drive state SMPD.
Arriving officers discovered a 15-year-old female with a gunshot wound at the scene and she was treated and later released from medical care detail SMPD.
According to SMPD, an investigation revealed that a group of young adults and juveniles were hanging out in a nearby park when a second group arrived and a physical altercation happened between members of the two groups.
After the fight, the second group entered a vehicle and began leaving the area before the driver "attempted to run over the initial party of people" explain SMPD.
The vehicle came to a stop and the driver fired multiple shots at the first group, resulting in the gunshot wound to the 15-year-old girl at the scene detail SMPD.
An investigation into the incident by the SMPD Detective Bureau led to the identification of the driver/shooter as a 23-year-old Santa Maria resident state SMPD.
On Feb. 7, 2024, detectives obtained an arrest warrant and on Apr. 9, 2024, investigators located the 23-year-old detail SMPD.
According to SMPD, around 10:30 a.m. on Apr. 9, a traffic stop led to the arrest of the 23-year-old and a search of the man's home in the 1700 block of S. Biscayne revealed evidence believed to be connected to the February shooting.
The 23-year-old was booked into Santa Barbara County Jail on his warrant for shooting from a vehicle, assault with a deadly weapon (vehicle), and assault with a deadly weapon (firearm) detail SMPD.
The man remains in custody on a $250,000 bail and the case has now been forwarded to the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office for filing of a criminal complaint explain the SMPD.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact SMPD Detective Peinado at 805-928-3781 ext 1357 or SMPD Detective Yee 805-928-3781 ext. 1371.
