Photo: Ghazi Elayyan
Santa Barbara County – It was mid-morning on September 18th when, according to Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department’s newly recruited Public Information Officer Raquel Zick, a 911 Emergency call was received reporting “a man destroying property and merchandise” at a Goleta 7-Eleven convenience store.
Elayyan’s handiwork
The telephone report identified the culprit as 27-year-old Isla Vista resident Ghazi Elayyan and indicated that he had been roaming through the store “making incoherent statements” immediately prior to wreaking havoc inside the premises. As reported by Zick, Elayyan “began destroying merchandise” in a rampage that had him throwing glass beverage bottles and destroying large display cases.
At the time of the incident, Elayyan was the only patron in the store. His behavior was so erratic and violent that it sent store employees scurrying for the safety of the store office. Behind the locked office door, the employees heard the noise of Elayyan “destroying merchandise.”
Deputies from the Goleta Valley Patrol Bureau, the Isla Vista Foot Patrol, and the Santa Barbara County Crisis Intervention Team arrived to find Elayyan in front of the store “screaming and suffering from several cuts.” He was promptly taken into custody and transported to Santa Barbara County Jail, where he was booked on a charge of felony vandalism with his bail set at $20,000.
Photos: Courtesy Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department, SBSD Goleta Valley Patrol Bureau, Santa Barbara County Jail Booking
