A standoff with an armed suspect who fired several shots ended peacefully early Sunday in Vandenberg Village, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department.
Deputies responded at about 3 a.m. to a report of a domestic dispute at a residence on the 200 block of Aldebaran Avenue, said Sgt. Garrett TeSlaa.
“The suspect, later identified as 21-year-old Cristian Arebalo, was reportedly becoming physical with family members inside the residence,” TeSlaa said.
When deputies arrived, Arebalo confronted them outside the house and fired a single round from a handgun in their presence, TeSlaa said.
The deputies retreated and called for backup from several other local law enforcement agencies.
The sheriff’s Special Enforcement Team and Hostage Negotiation Team were dispatched to the scene.
“Arebalo then called 9-1-1 and began speaking with dispatchers indicating that he was planning to escalate the confrontation with law enforcement,” TeSlaa said.
Deputies established a perimeter and directed nearby residents to shelter in place.
A negotiator was able to contact Arebalo and convinced him to surrender at about 4:45 a.m., TeSlaa said.
“A handgun was recovered at the scene, and it was determined that Arebalo had fired several shots inside the residence prior to our arrival that went unreported to 9-1-1 dispatchers,” TeSlaa said.
Arebalo was booked into Santa Barbara County Jail on suspicion of attempted murder.
— 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.