Eddie Dominguez
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY — The Laws of Unintended Consequences may have been at play in the morning hours of November 16th when Santa Maria Police Department’s SWAT Team was called upon to assist in the arrest of a 29-year-old domestic violence suspect.
According to SMPD spokesman Sgt. Russ Mengel, uniformed officers were summoned by a 911 Emergency call reporting the sounds of a violent dispute coming from within a South College Drive residence.
Upon arriving at the home, the cops discovered that a man and woman “had been involved in a fight for somewhat of a long duration.” Shortly after making their presence known to the home’s occupants, the female stepped outside while “the male remained inside and uncooperative.”
Four hours later, despite protracted conversations and negotiations between Eddie Dominguez and the cops—who had determined that Dominguez was also wanted for other recent domestic violence crimes—Dominguez simply refused to step outside the residence.
Considering the totality of the situation and law enforcement’s concerns that Dominguez was in possession of firearms, the SMPD SWAT Team was summoned to the scene, whereupon two rounds of tear gas were fired into the house in an attempt to flush him out.
It was at this point that the aforementioned unintended consequences became apparent as the incendiary tear gas charges set fire to the home. With smoke billowing throughout the structure, Dominguez evacuated through a rear door and was promptly taken into custody.
Santa Maria Fire Department personnel were left with the problem of extinguishing the flames while Dominguez was transported to Santa Barbara County Jail, where he was booked on charges of domestic violence, kidnapping, and making criminal threats, with his bail set at $500,000.
Photo: Courtesy Santa Barbara County Jail Booking
