At 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, Santa Barbara police officers were dispatched to the 800 block of North Voluntario Street for a disturbance.
Upon arrival, officers learned that a man was intoxicated and had been involved in a family quarrel with his wife and teenage sons. The man’s wife said she was calling police, then dialed 911. She huddled in a bedroom with all of her children.
The man was in another bedroom when the family heard the sound of the man “racking” a shotgun. The wife went into the bedroom where the man was while the rest of the family members ran out of the house.
The man was holding a nylon case with the shotgun enclosed inside. A tugging match ensued between the man and his wife over the nylon case. The wife was unable to take the nylon case away so she fled the residence and drove the rest of the family to safety a block away.
A two-hour standoff ensued between the suspect and officers, who had surrounded his residence. A member of the police department’s Crisis Negotiation Response Team responded and established contact with the suspect over the phone.
The CNRT officer told the suspect that he was under arrest for exhibiting the shotgun. The man told the CNRT officer that if officers entered the residence he would shoot them. CNRT maintained dialogue with the suspect. He eventually surrendered and was taken into custody at 1:40 a.m. A loaded 12-gauge shotgun was found leaning against the wall of the living room.
Mario Escobar, 34, was booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail on charges of resisting arrest and brandishing a firearm.
Lorenzo Duarte is a sergeant with the Santa Barbara Police Department.