A shooting outside a fast-food restaurant on Milpas Street early Sunday preceded a short police pursuit that ended when the suspects’ vehicle overturned in the Milpas roundabout. Two suspects were arrested.
About 2:40 a.m. Sunday, Santa Barbara police responded to reports of an altercation in the parking lot of Jack in the Box, 501 N. Milpas St. at Haley Street. Police Sgt. Lorenzo Duarte, a department spokesman, said brothers David and James Allison, both of Santa Barbara, were inside the restaurant when they made a derogatory comment to a man who had just entered the store. The 27-year-old man, whom Duarte declined to identify, responded to the comment and the two men chased him outside, where they began to assault him. Family and friends of the victim came to his defense and, after a brief fight, the Allisons left in a pickup truck, striking a parked vehicle as they drove off, Duarte said Monday.
According to Duarte, the suspects were heard to say that they were going to get a gun. Moments later, the pickup truck returned to the parking lot and the witnesses who had called police fled just as officers were arriving at the scene. One witness ran to the officers to report a man with a gun, Duarte said. Police said James Allison ran into the restaurant as the truck’s driver, David Allison, fired several rounds from a pump-action shotgun at witnesses. Both men got back in the truck and drove off.
Another police officer arriving on the scene saw the suspect vehicle heading toward him on nearby Bond Avenue. Duarte said the officer drew his weapon but had to leap out of the way as the pickup truck sideswiped the patrol car. The suspects then fled southbound on Milpas Street at a high rate of speed, but the driver lost control and the truck flipped on its side in the Milpas roundabout at Highway 101. Just before the crash, Duarte said, officers observed the driver throw away the shotgun, which was recovered by police. Both suspects were pinned in the wreckage and officers stood guard as Santa Barbara firefighters removed them.
David Allison, 31, was transported to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, where he was treated for a severe injury to his right arm and released. He was booked at Santa Barbara County Jail for attempted homicide, assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer, shooting at an occupied motor vehicle, felon in possession of a firearm, conspiracy, terrorist threats and felony DUI. James Allison, 30, was booked at County Jail for attempted homicide, felon in possession of a firearm, conspiracy and terrorist threats.
Detectives handled the case and determined the incident was not a gang-motivated assault, Duarte said.
Neither the victim nor any police officers were injured in the shooting, Duarte said, but the police officer whose patrol car was struck received a minor arm injury in that collision. The gunfire shattered the storefront window of Omar’s Travel, 502 N. Milpas St., police said, and the window remained boarded up Monday morning.
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— Noozhawk staff writer Lara Cooper can be reached at lcooper@noozhawk.com.
