Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office identified three witnesses to Feb. 23 officer-involved shooting in Vandenberg

VANDENBERG VILLAGE, Calif. -- The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday announced that it has identified three witnesses who called 911 before the officer-involved shooting in Vandenberg Village on Feb. 23.

Sheriff's deputies originally responded to calls about a reckless driver involved in multiple traffic collisions on Feb. 23, but the incident ended with officers firing shots at the suspect.

The Sheriff's Office identified three witnesses who called 911 and reported that the suspect was driving a dark-colored Toyota Tundry recklessly in the Providence Landing area, according to Sheriff's spokeswoman Raquel Zick.

The car came to a final stop near the 3800 block of Celestial Way after crashing into a residential fence, Zick said, adding that the suspect then fled the area on foot.

Surveillance footage shows that the suspect tried pulling the doors on two parked cars and entering a third car after the collision with the fence but before contact with the deputies, Zick said.

One sheriff's deputy came into contact with the suspect near the 600 block of Mercury Avenue and gave the suspect repeated verbal commands, according to Zick.

The suspect failed to comply and then made several sudden movements, "including what the deputies perceived as a shooting stance" toward the deputy, she added.

One deputy fired 10 rounds at the suspect and the other fired one round in response, according to Zick.

The suspect was wounded with a single gunshot to the shoulder area, and was treated and released at an area hospital before being transferred to the Santa Barbara County Main Jail.

Neither of the deputies were injured during the incident.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact detectives at 805-681-4150, or submit an anonymous tip by calling 805-681-4171 or online at SBSheriff.org.