Photo: Rafael Rayas
Santa Barbara County – Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department deputies attached at the Santa Maria station responded to a mid-morning 911 Emergency call reporting a burglary in progress in the Tanglewood residential community of Santa Maria.
According to Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department Public Information Officer Kelly Hoover, when deputies arrived at the reporting residence location, they were informed of “a man who broke into a room inside of a residence” who stole several items of personal property.
The victim of the alleged theft explained that he personally and physically confronted the suspect, at which point the suspect “swung a large log” at him.
It was at that point that the suspect, later identified as 30-year-old Santa Maria resident Rafael Rayas, quickly left the scene and was not on the premises at the time law enforcement personnel arrived. But with a good witness description and prompt investigative work, deputies soon located Rayas on a nearby street “still holding a large piece of wood.”
As Rayas had been reported as having used that piece of wood as a weapon, deputies unholstered their service weapons and soon convinced him to surrender both his piece of wood and himself.
He was promptly taken into custody and found to be in possession of pepper spray and a bladed weapon. He was transported to Santa Barbara County Jail where he was booked on charges of residential burglary, assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a dirk or dagger, and being a felon in possession of pepper spray, with his bail set at $50,000.
Photo: Courtesy Santa Barbara County Jail Booking
