Santa Maria police arrest man wanted in connection to Lompoc murder

As of 7:40 p.m., Walter Morales has been successfully arrested. SM police entered the residence where he was to search for any other potential suspects.

SANTA MARIA, Calif. - Santa Maria police served an arrest warrant in Santa Maria Friday afternoon. Officers were searching for a man wanted in a 2019 murder in Lompoc.

Police confirmed to our newsroom that law enforcement was looking for Walter Morales - a suspect in the 2019 slaying of Lompoc soldier Marlon Brumfield.

Morales has been sought by law enforcement since 2019 but he has reentered the fray in recent days after he was identified as the suspect in recent drive-by shootings in the area.

Santa Maria police worked alongside city firefighters and AMR to serve an arrest warrant at a residence on the 1500 block of Thornburg Street and Battles Road.

The search began around 12:30 p.m. on Friday.

Officers called out to the residence using a speaker system in an attempt to get anyone inside the home to surrender.

An arrest warrant has been in place for Morales since 2019. Another man, Francisco Gutierrez Ortega was arrested last year and booked into jail. He awaits his trial in Brumfield's death. Investigators said the murder of Brumfield appears to be a random attack.

This is an ongoing situation and we will provide more updates as we learn more.