Santa Maria Police arrest suspect wanted in Monday shooting incident

SANTA MARIA, Calif. – The Santa Maria Police Department arrested the suspect wanted for a shooting on Monday that left two schools on lockdown for nearly two hours, according to the Santa Maria Police Department.

The department responded to reports of a shooting at the intersection of Alvin Avenue and Railroad Avenue just after 2:30 p.m. on Monday.

"The reporting party said he and his young son were stopped at the intersection when a car pulled alongside of his and an occupant of the other vehicle starting shooting at him," according to the police department.

The shooting and police activity left El Camino Junior High School and Robert Bruce Elementary School on lockdown for nearly two hours, until about 4:30 p.m. on Monday.

The suspect fled eastbound on Alvin Avenue and crashed about two blocks away near the intersection of Alvin Avenue and Curryer Street, the department said.

Two women inside of the car were contacted and arrested for carious misdemeanor charges, while one male passenger continued to flee into a residential neighborhood by foot.

After a few hours, and with the assistance of a Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office helicopter, the suspect was located in the backyard of one of the homes, the police department said.

Officers were able to take the man into custody and recovered what they believed to be the gun that was used in the shooting.

He was booked at the Santa Barbara County Northern Branch Jail for attempted murder, weapons violations, and charges related to his probation status, according to the police department.

The police department requests that anyone with additional information or videos of Monday's events to contact Detective Sargeant Todd Logan at 805-928-3781 ext. 2532 or via email at dlogan@cityofsantamaria.org.