Escape Attempt by Swimming Sinks Felon

Binisio Nicolas Pereda, 26

Goleta – Binisio Nicolas Pereda, 26, may have had visions of Michael Phelps breaking world swimming records on his mind when he dove into a north county lagoon in a protracted attempt to evade officers from no less than six area law enforcement teams.

According to Santa Barbara County Sheriff spokesman Lt. Butch Arnoldi, Pereda had been sought by area law enforcement for multiple outstanding felony warrants and had recently been using borrowed vehicles in various county communities.  More than once during the previous weeks, traffic stops had been attempted upon cars driven by Pereda, and, in the most recent, “he backed up and almost struck a police officer,” Arnoldi reported to the media.

While Pereda had somehow managed to flee from law enforcement and evade arrest before, he was once again the subject of a traffic stop in Goleta, near the Santa Barbara Airport and once again failed to yield. He “led officers on a vehicle chase” and eventually drove the wrong way up an off-ramp leading to the southbound U.S. 101.

Goleta Slough

That deadly attempt at evasion brought units from the California Highway Patrol, the UCSB Police Department, Santa Barbara County Probation Department, the Santa Barbara Police Department, SBCO Sheriff’s Air Support Unit and the SBSD Canine Team all in hot pursuit of Pereda, who abandoned his vehicle and fled on foot through a mobile home park close to the Goleta Slough, a brackish body of water leading to the ocean.

The canine unit tracked Pereda’s flight directly to the slough, where numerous officers observed him attempting to swim across the mossy lagoon.  After treading water for some time, Pereda was ultimately convinced to swim to shore and submit to arrest.

He was taken into custody and restrained on the lagoon shore. Pereda was subsequently transported to Santa Barbara County Jail where he was booked on charges of felony assault with a deadly weapon, felony evading, and felony resisting.  He remains in custody pending a bail determination.

Photos: courtesy Santa Barbara County Jail Booking, UCSB

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