Three Robberies With a Knife
About 7 p.m. Friday, officers responded to a robbery with a knife at Rite-Aid at 825 State St. The cashier told officers that the suspect entered the store and produced a knife while demanding cash from the register. The suspect was described as a Hispanic male adult in his 30s wearing a blue-gray short-sleeve shirt and blue jeans. He was also wearing dark sunglasses and a white baseball cap.
About 9:30 p.m. Friday, officers responded to a robbery with a knife at PetCo at 3985 State St. Store employees had locked the doors to the store about 9 p.m. At 9:30 p.m., the suspect entered the manager’s office where she was counting the day’s receipts. It is believed that the suspect hid inside the store before employees locked the doors.
The suspect was described as a Hispanic male adult in his mid-20s wearing a black ski jacket, black ski gloves, orange ski goggles with black rims, and his hood was pulled up and cinched down over his face. The victim stated the suspect produced a knife and ordered her to give him all the money. He then asked her to open the safe and hand him the money from the safe. After obtaining the money, he took her to the back of the store at knife point. The manager had another employee open the back doors. The suspect let the manager go and punched the employee before fleeing on foot.
About 8:05 p.m. Saturday, officers responded to Goodwill at 302 W. Carrillo St. after receiving a call about a robbery. Officers were told that by the manager that he had just closed the store, at 7:58 p.m. He proceeded to the back office to count the money from the cash registers. The manager was accompanied by another employee. Within minutes, the victim saw the suspect standing at the doorway of the back office.
The suspect was holding a knife and wearing a napkin on the lower part of his face. The suspect ordered the victims to the floor and took the money. The suspect, who fled out the back doors of the business, was described as an Hispanic male adult 30 to 40 years old, 5-foot-6 to 5-foot-8 wearing a brown polo shirt and blue jeans.
Anyone with information on the robberies is asked to call that Santa Barbara Police Department at 805.897.2335.
Suspect Arrested in Assault With a Deadly Weapon
At 2:30 a.m. Sunday, officers responded to a fight and brandishing call at city lot No. 10 and found a victim with major injuries.
Officers investigated the incident and learned that the suspect, Jaime Zavala, 27, of Las Vegas, had been involved in a fight earlier with the victim after the victim asked for a cigarette. The victim returned to the State Street area to tell friends. The victim and his friends returned to the parking lot and located the suspect. The victim approached the suspect and punched him on the back of the head. The suspect then began to fight with the victim, knocking the victim to the ground. While the victim was on the ground, the suspect continued to punch the victim, causing the victim to lose consciousness.
Several onlookers attempted to stop the fight, but as they stepped forward, the suspect’s friend Luis Bravo, 23, allegedly brandished a knife and told them not to come any further and to let the two fight “one on one.” The victim was still unconscious and the suspect continued to punch him. Witnesses became frightened and left in their vehicles. The suspect vandalized the cars as they drove away.
Police arrived and Zavala and Bravo were spotted driving near the parking lot. They were stopped in the 500 block of Anacapa Street and arrested. Zavala was booked for assault with a deadly weapon, battery with serious injuries and vandalism. Bravo was cited for brandishing and released. The victim was admitted to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital for injuries to the head and face.
Lorenzo Duarte is a sergeant with the Santa Barbara Police Department.