The search for a suspect in an assault led to the heavy presence of law enforcement officers at a Goleta shopping center on Friday before the man was taken into custody. 

Santa Barbara County sheriff’s deputies responded at about 9:15 a.m. to a report of an assault with a deadly weapon — a knife — near the Home Depot store at the Camino Real Marketplace, according to sheriff’s spokeswoman Raquel Zick.

“Deputies established a perimeter around the area and, with the assistance of Home Depot staff, vacated the business,” Zick said. “While deputies searched for the suspect inside Home Depot, additional deputies were on the lookout for the suspect in the surrounding area.”

Shortly before 10 a.m., the suspect — identified as Jeremiah Jacobson, 43, of La Mirada — was spotted behind the Target store across Storke Road, and he was arrested, Zick said.

Jacobson was booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, with bail set at $30,000, Zick said.

“The victim was not physically injured and did not require medical attention,” she added.

As a precaution, authorities had urged people to avoid the area while the law enforcement activity was happening.

— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.