Police Searching for Wanted Man Allegedly Armed and Dangerous

by April Charlton , February 14, 2013

SANTA MARIA – Police are searching for a known gang member who’s believed to be armed and dangerous, after the man was allegedly seen Wednesday afternoon near a local elementary school brandishing a gun.

Ricardo Cruz

Just before 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 13, officers were dispatched to the 200 block of West Roschelle Lane for a report of a disturbance involving a male subject who had a gun. The suspect, Ricardo Cruz, of Santa Maria, was last seen heading toward Adam Elementary school, which was placed on lockdown, according to the Police Department.

After responding to the area, gang detectives spotted Cruz outside where children were playing. Cruz also saw the officers and ran into a nearby residential apartment complex.The area was surrounded and an extensive search for Cruz was initiated.

K-9 officers from the Pismo Beach and Santa Maria police departments, as well as the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department, helped in the effort of searching for the suspect, and a California Highway Patrol helicopter was also utilized to assist in the hours-long search, although Cruz was never located, police said.

Cruz is a known and documented Santa Maria gang member, and was on federal probation at the time of this incident. He was already wanted by authorities for violating his probation.

Anyone with information about Cruz’s whereabouts is encouraged to call the Police Department at (805) 928-3781. Anonymous tips can also be made by calling Crime Stoppers at (805) 549-STOP.

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Police Searching for Wanted Man Allegedly Armed and Dangerous was last modified: February 14th, 2013 by admin

Categories: Santa Barbara

Tags: arrest, gang, wanted

About Author

April Charlton

April Charlton is a freelance journalist who specializes in criminal and local government matters. She has more than 11-plus years of experience as a reporter, covering everything from cops and courts to city and county governments. She writes for CrimeVoice and several newspapers on the Central Coast, including the Santa Maria Times, a daily publication, and its sister papers, Times Press Recorder and The Adobe Press. She may be reached at really_dawn@yahoo.com for any comments or suggestions that you may have.