A Santa Barbara man was arrested Thursday night after allegedly attempting to flee in a car from police officers, and colliding with an unoccupied patrol vehicle, according to the Santa Barbara Police Department.
Julio Ochoa, 29, was booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail on multiple charges stemming from the incident, seven arrest warrants and a parole violation, said police spokesman Anthony Wagner.
He remained in custody Friday afternoon with no bail, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department.
At about 9:45 p.m. on Thursday, officers from a specialized police unit were conducting a premise check on a business on the 3600 block of State Street in Santa Barbara, Wagner said.
Officers identified a car previously reported stolen that they believed was unoccupied in the parking lot, Wagner said.
As officers approached the driver’s side of the vehicle, Wagner said, they observed a man “reclined in the seat in an attempt to avoid detection.”
After receiving verbal commands to exit the vehicle, the driver began to reverse the vehicle into an unoccupied patrol car, Wagner said. The police vehicle sustained major damage and had to be towed.
“All of the officers had to quickly get out of the way to avoid being struck by the vehicle,” Wagner said. “After striking the patrol vehicle, Ochoa then attempted to drive his vehicle over a small cement wall in an attempt to flee.”
Ochoa subsequently rammed another parked vehicle, Wagner said.
A police officer broke the driver’s side window of the vehicle that Ochoa occupied and “utilize his Taser to stop the ongoing and deadly threat,” Wagner said.
No officers were injured in the incident.
“Ochoa sustained minor injuries as a result of the collision,” Wagner said.
— Noozhawk staff writer Brooke Holland can be reached at bholland@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
