March 4, 2022 – Santa Barbara, Ca.
It was just after midnight on February 24 th when a pair of Santa Barbara Police Department officers responded to a 911 call from a homeowner reporting an unidentified stranger in their backyard.
According to SBPD spokesman Sgt. Ethan Ragsdale, “the homeowner awoke to unusual noises in their backyard and observed a male dressed in dark clothing lurking around their home.”
Responding to what is a frightening situation in the minds of all reasonable people, the cops arrived on the scene with all due alacrity. As they made contact with the resident, officers spotted “a man matching the suspect’s description” who promptly took off running.
The ensuing foot chase involving a pair of officers shouting “several verbal commands” which the suspect ignored finally came to a halt as “officers were able to catch up to him.” Once detained, however, 40-year-old local area transient Justin Howze Juniel made it immediately obvious that he wasn’t about to be taken without a fight.
At that point, “he started to physically fight the officers,” leading the cops to employ “control holds” to take Juniel into custody. The cops’ victory in battle was not without costs, however, as one officer suffered “abrasions to the knee” while the other “suffered a broken hand” requiring subsequent treatment at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.
For his trouble and combativeness, Juniel was transported to Santa Barbara County Jail, where he was booked on charges of prowling and felony resisting by force, with his bail set at $100,000.
