Police converge in Santa Maria Valley neighborhood after reports of man holding rifle

There were some tense moments for residents in the 2000 block of Sandalwood Drive in the Santa Maria Valley after a school bus driver reported a man holding what appeared to be a rifle with a scope.

The incident occurred shortly after 11 a.m. Friday, Nov. 30. Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s deputies contacted the bus driver and reviewed surveillance video that confirmed what the bus driver reported.

Deputies, Santa Maria police officers, and a Sheriff’s helicopter converged on the scene to investigate the incident, authorities said. The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office says the individual seen holding the weapon went back inside his home.

The individual was then ordered to come out and cooperated with authorities. The rifle he was seen holding was actually a pellet gun and the Sheriff’s Office says the man had not intended to cause concern. He was not arrested.

Nearby Arellanes Elementary School and Junior High were not placed on lockdown during the incident.