Santa Maria man arrested for attempted murder after allegedly striking victim’s head with shovel

SANTA MARIA, Calif. - Santa Maria police arrested a man on attempted murder charges after locating a victim while responding to a call regarding vandalism Sunday morning.

The vandalism call came in around 9:46 a.m. Officers were dispatched to a residence on the 200 block of North Western.

Upon arrival, police said they located a man suffering from a serious head injury on the 900 block of West Main. The officers rendered first aid to the victim while waiting for an ambulance to arrive. The victim was then transported to the hospital for treatment as is expected to survive.

During the investigation, officers determined the victim was struck on the head with a shovel. They believe this attempted murder is related to the vandalism call they received for North Western.

A patrol investigator authorized an arrest warrant for 37-year-old Juan Carlos Arizaga-Rosas of Santa Maria.

Officers returned around 2:42 p.m. to the residence on North Western in an effort to locate Arizaga-Rosas.

Police said Arizaga-Rosas was standing in the front yard of the residence upon arrival by officers and was arrested immediately without incident.