Man injures Santa Barbara officer while resisting arrest, tries to take officer’s firearm
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - A Santa Barbara Police officer sustained an injury while preventing a man from taking his firearm during an arrest on Wednesday.
Wednesday morning around 6:45 a.m., Santa Barbara police responded to Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) after receiving a report of a man repeatedly trespassing onto the campus.
SBCC Campus security told police the man had a history of being aggressive toward college staff members. Earlier that morning, security said they asked the man to leave, but the man reportedly responded with verbal threats.
Police officers entered the campus and located the man, later identified as 28-year-old Joshua James Segura, lying on the ground in front of a lecture hall.
Officers said Segura was immediately hostile when he saw the officers and reportedly disobeyed their commands before fleeing the area. SB officers allowed Segura to leave the area without pursuit in an effort to de-escalate the situation.
A short time later, around 8 a.m., Santa Barbara police received another call involving Segura. The caller said Segura had returned to the SBCC campus and was once again refusing to leave.
Upon arriving, police found Segura across the street from the school campus in a Harbor parking area.
Police said they tried to detain him, however, Segura ran away again. This time, officers chased after Segura and were able to stop him by pushing him to the ground.
SB police said Segura struggled violently, trying to resist being arrested. During the fight, officers said Segura grabbed an officer's firearm and attempted to force it out of its holster.
SBPD said the officer was able to prevent Segura from taking the gun, however, he sustained a lower body injury during the fight. It is unclear the nature of the injury, however, it was severe enough that the officer was not able to return to work and had to seek medical treatment.
Segura was finally arrested at the scene and booked for battery on a peace officer, resisting arrest by force and other charges. The police department said Segura had been on probation for other prior convictions.
