One suspect arrested, another found dead off Hwy. 46 after chase through SLO County
A 20-year-old Lompoc man has died and a juvenile has been taken into custody following a shooting in Lompoc, an armed robbery in Buellton, and a pursuit in San Luis Obispo and Kern counties on Wednesday.
Law enforcement officers from multiple agencies were investigating the incidents, which also have been linked to a fatal shooting in Lompoc on Sunday night and a later carjacking in Anaheim, Lompoc police Sgt. Sergio Arias said Thursday.
Lompoc detectives began investigating a homicide that occurred at approximately 9:40 p.m. Sunday in the 500 block of North K Street, where a 33-year-old man was shot to death. Police have not released his name.
At 2:18 p.m. Wednesday, Lompoc police were dispatched to another shooting on the 700 bock of North E Street, although no one was wounded.
Police sent a be-on-the-lookout alert regarding the suspect’s vehicle, according to emergency dispatch reports.
A short time later, an armed robbery with one suspect wielding a black handgun occurred at Houston’s Liquors on the 400 block of Avenue of the Flags in Buellton.
The suspect fled with an undisclosed amount of cash, according to Raquel Zick, Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman.
The clerk at the liquor store was not physically harmed, she added.
Law enforcement officers determined that the suspects might be connected to a dark blue BMW, the same vehicle description for the Lompoc incident.
Arias said police also learned that the vehicle had been taken in a carjacking in Anaheim either Tuesday or Wednesday.
After the suspects’ vehicle was spotted, a pursuit ensued northbound on Highway 101 and then east on Highway 46 through San Luis Obispo County and into Kern County, according to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office.
The pursuit ended on Highway 46 near Kecks Road, in Kern County, when two suspects abandoned the vehicle and ran into an orchard, the Kern County Sheriff’s Office said.
A California Highway Patrol helicopter monitored the suspects as they fled from the vehicle, but lost sight of the pair due to heavy tree cover.
“After a perimeter was set up around the orchard, a homeowner in the area reported an ATV was stolen from his property,” Kern County officials said. “As deputies were preparing to search the area, a witness reported two males were seen running northbound from Highway 46 a few miles east of the orchard and had possibly left an ATV behind.”
The two suspects attempted to hide from law enforcement officers near a canal.
One suspect was taken into custody without further incident.
“As they approached the second suspect, they found he was deceased from a gunshot wound. A handgun was located near the body.
“Due to the circumstances of the case, a homicide investigation was initiated. At this time, it is unknown how the deceased suspect suffered the injury. No law enforcement officers fired their weapons during this incident,” Kern County officials said.
The dead man’s name will be released after family members have been notified.
The juvenile, whose name wasn’t released due to his age, was arrested on a warrant, law enforcement officers said.
The Kern County Sheriff’s Office is working with all of the involved agencies on this case, including the Lompoc Police Department, the Anaheim Police Department, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office, Santa Barbara Juvenile Probation, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office and the California Highway Patrol.
Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.