Photo: Denis Gutierrez and Jose Romero
Santa Barbara County – The City of Carpinteria, with a reputation as the home of “the world’s safest beach,” is a tranquil community with a weeknight “night life” that wraps up soon after 8:00 p.m. It’s also the kind of small town where most residents are familiar with one another, and everyone knows the people behind the counters of every retail store and call bank tellers by their first names.
So when, just after 10:30 p.m. on the night of January 7th, a local area liquor store—famous for the tacos served during the day—was robbed at gunpoint, those perpetrating the crime had no idea what they were in for.
According to Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department Public Information Officer Kelly Hoover, a 911 Emergency call reporting “a fight” brought patrol deputies to the front yard of an apartment building just a block away from Carpinteria’s commercial thoroughfare.
The responding deputies discovered several local citizens had apprehended 25-year-old Ventura resident Jose Romero, who was “being held down” by them. The area neighbors identified Romero has “having just robbed a liquor store.”
Minutes later, deputies located “a replica firearm” determined to be an air-powered pellet gun suspected as having been used in the commission of the robbery. At that point, a SBSD K9 team was summoned. It didn’t take the dog long to discover 25-year-old Carpinteria resident Denis Gutierrez “hiding in the backseat of a vehicle parked nearby.”
Both Romero and Gutierrez were transported to Santa Barbara County Jail, where they were booked on charges of conspiracy, robbery, and for outstanding warrants.
While the actions of the local citizens were expressly appreciated by the deputies, Hoover indicated that “attempting to apprehend suspected criminals who may be armed” is not a particularly safe thing to do. Members of the public are urged to “be great witnesses and to call 911” to report crimes they may unexpectedly observe.
Photos: Courtesy Santa Barbara County Jail Booking
