A Santa Barbara man has pleaded guilty to resisting a peace officer after a foot pursuit in the harbor that resulted in a Harbor Patrol officer getting injured, according to the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office.
Tony Denunzio, 54, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of resisting a peace officer, resulting in serious bodily injury to the officer in a May 11, 2014, incident at the Santa Barbara Harbor.
Some terms and conditions of the plea deal will be decided at the March 5 sentencing hearing, but Denunzio is expected to receive three years of probation and no more than 90 days in County Jail, according to Deputy District Attorney Marguerite Charles.
“This conviction should send the message that, whether it’s the Harbor Patrol or any other peace officer, anybody contacted by a peace officer should comply with their lawful demands,” harbor operations manager Mick Kronman said Monday. “This resulted from a failure to comply with a lawful order to stop, and what ensued was a contact in which this man severely injured one of our officers.”
The officer, who hasn’t been identified, is still recovering, Harbor Patrol supervisor Steve McCullough said.
Last May, a local boater in Marina 1 reported two suspects climbing on boats who were unfamiliar to him, Kronman said. Harbor Patrol officers made contact after they came up the ramp and left the marina, near the West Marine store and the main Harbor Patrol office.
The men kept walking when an officer told the men to stop, Kronman said.
The officer ran and stepped in front of the men, and one man asked if they were going to be arrested. Officers said they were being detained for questioning.
One officer extended an arm and Denunzio walked into the outstretched hand, resulting in a “physical contact” that brought both men to the ground, Kronman said.
The officer was injured and Denunzio “just took off running away from the officer,” McCullough said.
Santa Barbara police arrived on the scene at that point and Denunzio complied with orders to stop from a Santa Barbara police officer who had his Taser drawn, according to Sgt. Riley Harwood.
He was taken into custody at that point and the Harbor Patrol officer had suffered a serious injury to his right arm that eventually required surgery, Harwood said.
Marina 1 is a locked facility and the investigation of the prowling call determined Denunzio and his brother had “snuck in” when someone exited, Harwood said. The men told police they were going to a boat that belonged to a friend of theirs.
Denunzio has previously settled a federal civil rights lawsuit against the City of Santa Barbara, alleging police used excessive force against him during an October 2011 traffic stop when he was pulled over on suspicion of driving under the influence.
— Noozhawk news editor Giana Magnoli can be reached at gmagnoli@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.