Santa Barbara police arrested a man on suspicion of robbing a local surf shop Sunday night.
At 5:21 p.m., officers responded to the report of a robbery on the 100 block of State Street and located the suspect walking along the railroad tracks a few blocks away, near Garden Street, Sgt. Bryan Kerr said.
The man, 34-year-old Michael Anthony Gonzalez of Santa Barbara, had a pocketknife and items taken from the surf shop, Kerr said.
“According to the victim, Gonzalez vandalized and shoplifted items from the store. When Gonzalez was confronted in the parking lot by staff, he brandished a knife and then continued eastbound along the railroad tracks,” Kerr said.
Gonzalez was being held without bail at the Santa Barbara County Jail due to an outstanding probation-violation warrant, police said.
He was booked on suspicion of second-degree robbery, vandalism, providing false identification to a police officer, and two prior theft convictions, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
No further details were available.
