Several arrested in morning Santa Barbara Police raid

A morning raid on an Eastside Santa Barbara trailer park netted seven suspects, six with felony warrants.

Four others were detained as part of the investigation.

Santa Barbara Police Sgt. Riley Harwood says the offenses included property crimes, drug related crimes and probation violations.

NewsChannel 3 first reported the law enforcement activity on our social media sites as the raid was unfolding.

Neighbors responded saying the police were at the site in the 1200 block of Punta Gorda Street about 8 a.m. Several backup units were called to assist along with a large transport van. “In this circumstance I don’t believe they expected to find that many people so we had to call out additional resources,” said Harwood.

Later in the morning detectives were going through the trailer involved, and possessions on the site to document the evidence.

It’s unclear how the suspects arrested are connected to any on going burglary investigations in the city, but police say the enforcement will make a difference. “If we have people that are involved in committing property crimes in custody then they are not on the street at least for a short period of time and not able to commit additional crimes,” said Harwood.

Patrol staffing has been beefed up in recent months, and that may also have had an impact in locating the suspects. “It’s been on the rebound for the last year and when we have more officers on the street and in addition to be able to respond more promptly to 911 calls, officers have more time to do pro active police work,” said Harwood.