Santa Maria Police Department officials, including Police Chief Danny Macagni, would not confirm to the Sun whether they have received threats of violence since an incident that left alleged Santa Maria gang member Samyr Ceballos, 24, dead in the street, citing an ongoing investigation into the shooting. But numerous sources have told the Sun that threats, reportedly from a Santa Maria gang, have been aimed at officers since the shooting. In a Dec. 9 interview with local news station KSBY, Macagni verified the claims.
“We will not back down. Let me tell you, we will not,” Macagni told KSBY. “It’s not a good thing to threaten the police, especially from a criminal street gang. We don’t negotiate with those people, and we’ll handle those threats accordingly.”
According to the official SMPD press release regarding the incident, the department’s narcotics and gang units, along with SWAT team members, were attempting to serve search and arrest warrants in the 300 block of West Agnes Street in relation to an ongoing narcotics investigation on Dec. 8.
At approximately 8 a.m., officers tried to pull over Ceballos, the target of their investigation, in his sports utility vehicle. According to the department, Ceballos stopped his car but “failed to surrender to [officers] and produced a weapon.”
According to the release, during the attempt to disarm Ceballos, shots were fired and Ceballos was pronounced dead at the scene. Two officers sustained minor gunshot wounds and were transported to a nearby hospital.
Since the incident, Macagni told local media that a preliminary investigation revealed that Ceballos’ handgun was never fired, and that the two injured officers—one shot in the hand, the other the leg—were actually victims of friendly fire.
Lt. Rico Flores of the Santa Maria Police Department could not comment on the incident because a number of independent investigations are still ongoing.
Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Drew Sugars said his department is conducting an investigation into the Ceballos incident. The results of investigation will be forwarded to the District Attorney’s Office.
All six officers involved in the shooting are on paid administrative leave during the investigation, typical procedure in officer-involved shootings.
This article appears in Dec 22-29, 2011.
