A barricaded suspect who was arrested by Santa Barbara police on Sunday after a nearly four-hour standoff on the city’s Lower Westside is facing multiple felony and misdemeanor charges.
Eduardo Adrian Mendoza, 29, was booked into Santa Barbara County Jail on suspicion of attempted rape and false imprisonment, both felonies, and brandishing an imitation firearm and resisting/obstructing arrest, both misdemeanors, according to Sgt. Ethan Ragsdale.
Mendoza remained in custody Monday evening in lieu of $100,000 bail.
The incident began at about 5:15 a.m. Sunday, when officers responded to a report of a man who pointed a black handgun at a woman during a crime on the 200 block of Ladera Street, Ragsdale said.
“The victim called 9-1-1, and reported a male suspect brandished a handgun at her and sexually assaulted her,” Ragsdale said. “The victim was able to flee prior to calling law enforcement.”
Officers quickly located, Mendoza, but he fled into a nearby apartment building and barricaded himself inside.
At about 9 a.m., Mendoza surrendered and was taken into custody without incident, while the other occupants of the apartment, including a child, were found unharmed, Ragsdale said.
A search of the apartment turned up three replica handguns inside the apartment.
“These imitation firearms greatly resemble actual firearms, and are nearly impossible to determine as replicas based on appearance alone,” Ragsdale said.
The victim’s name was not released.
— 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.