The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department is investigating another fatal officer-involved shooting in Santa Maria, which came after a low-speed chase through the city.
According to a press release from the department, at around 9 p.m. on July 30, deputies responded to a 911 call from a woman claiming a man with a gun was threatening her on Broadway Road. A sheriff’s sergeant responded, spotting the suspect at a local gas station.
Authorities said the unidentified man told the sergeant he was armed, and he later led deputies, Santa Maria police officers, and California Highway Patrol officers on a slow pursuit.
After stopping on Preisker Lane, the suspect “threw several guns out of his car” and confronted officers with another gun. Officers responded, fatally shooting the suspect. The identities of the officers are unknown.
No further details on the incident were available as of press time, Sheriff’s Department spokesman Mark Williams said.
This article appears in Aug 2-9, 2012.