Photo: Marguan David Lara Mendoza
Santa Barbara County – Isla Vista, the community immediately adjacent to the UCSB campus, is usually an upbeat, vibrant town. The diverse population consists of college students, short-term vacation renters, and well entrenched homeowners.
Recently the area has been the target of several burglaries. In each of those incidents, “suspects entered through an unlocked door or window” when residents were absent.
But late on the night of October 13th, the person authorities believe to be responsible for all these crimes “entered an occupied residence through an unlocked side door.” The intruder, unaware that two people were in a rear bedroom of the house at the time of his uninvited visit, suddenly found himself face-to-face with a third resident unexpectedly returning home from work.
At that point, while “in the process of stealing items in the living room,” 20-year-old Goleta resident Marguan David Lara Mendoza found himself in a challenging physical confrontation. The resident wasn’t about to allow Mendoza to flee unscathed. A glance at Mendoza’s mugshot indicates the difficulty he faced while making good his escape.
Following his flight from the property, deputies attached to the Isla Vista Foot Patrol ultimately tracked Mendoza down and took him into custody.
Authorities booked Mendoza on charges of first-degree burglary and first-degree robbery, with his bail set at $100,000.
Photo: Courtesy Santa Barbara County Jail booking
