About 11:25 p.m. Friday, Santa Barbara police officers responded to a fight call involving numerous individuals in the area of De La Vine and West Gutierrez streets.
As officers were responding to the area, they were informed that multiple suspected gunshots had been heard. Officers arrived and found several shell casings. As officers were on the scene, dispatch received a call from Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital that two people had arrived with suspected gunshot wounds.
Officers responded to the hospital and talked with a 28-year-old male victim suffering from a gunshot wound to the abdomen and an 18-year-old male victim suffering from a wound to his nose, which later was determined to also be from a gunshot. It was determined that both victims had been involved in the fight at De La Vina and West Gutierrez streets.
During the fight, one of the participants produced a firearm and shots were fired. Officers contacted Sebastian Covarrubias, 22, at his residence on the 400 block of De La Vina Street. Officers and detectives searched the residence and the area and recovered what is commonly known as a “molotov cocktail.”
Also recovered was the firearm police believe was used in this incident, which is being investigated as gang related.
Covarrubias was arrested and booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail for possession of an explosive device.
The investigation has been ongoing since Friday, and detectives are following up on any possible leads. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the Investigative Division at 805.897.2335.
Lorenzo Duarte is a sergeant with the Santa Barbara Police Department.