Two suspects were in custody Monday night after a search in Carpinteria prompted by the discovery of a stolen vehicle that had been abandoned with a shotgun inside.
Martin Trujillo, 30, and Anthony Gomez, 35, both documented gang members from Ventura, were arrested on Monday night in connection with a residential burglary and auto theft that occurred in Ventura last week, according to sheriff’s spokeswoman Kelly Hoover.
Trujillo was booked on charges of felony resisting with injury, possession of a stolen vehicle, possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.
Gomez was booked on charges of resisting arrest and possession of a stolen vehicle.
Both men are also charged with a criminal gang enhancement, Hoover said.
At about 4 p.m., Santa Barbara County sheriff’s deputies found a gray Honda Accord that had been stolen during a residential burglary last week.
The vehicle was parked at the 7-Eleven in the 4400 block of Via Real, Hoover said, and while more deputies were being called to the scene, two men emerged from the store and fled the scene.
Deputies, Santa Barbara County Air Support Unit and two Sheriff’s K-9 Units searched the area for more than an hour, Hoover said.
At about 5:45 p.m., a resident living in the 4500 block of Carpinteria Avenue called to report that two suspicious men requested to use her phone, and were located shortly after in the parking lot of the apartment complex.
“During the process of apprehending the suspects and taking them into custody, Trujillo was injured by a K-9 and a deputy received minor injuries as well,” Hoover said.
Inside the stolen vehicle, deputies found items from the residential burglary in Ventura, including a shotgun, and the Ventura Police Department is conducting an investigation.
Additional charges against the suspects are pending.
— Noozhawk staff writer Lara Cooper can be reached at lcooper@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
