A Santa Barbara man was arrested Wednesday after allegedly assaulting a man at Pershing Park in Santa Barbara.
Officers responded at about 9:30 a.m. to the park on the 100 block of Castillo Street on a report that an assault had just occurred, according to Anthony Wagner, a Santa Barbara Police Department spokesman.
“Numerous officers flooded the area, and with the assistance of several helpful witnesses, officers were able to locate the suspect … in a nearby parking lot,” Wagner said.
Police said a nearby hotel security camera captured footage of the attack.
Russell Packer, 54, was taken into custody after allegedly attacking a man with a baseball bat and a U-shaped bicycle lock, Wagner said, adding that both objects were recovered at the scene.
Packer was booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, Wagner said.
The victim, whose name was not released, was transported by AMR ambulance to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.
It was Packer’s second arrest in the past month on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, Wagner said.
— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at tbolton@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.