Cops Roll Out All The Toys for Suicidal Man

Montecito – Responding to a 911 Emergency call reporting a man with a knife threatening to kill himself this morning, Santa Barbara County Sheriffs deputies responded with a show of force commonly exhibited for riotous mob suppression.

Bearcat

According to SBSD spokesman Sgt. Mark Williams, the “report of a man with a knife” directed his department’s response the most heavily-traveled avenue connecting the county’s most exclusive and high-profile residential areas with the U.S. 101 freeway.  San Ysidro Road, the most common route between Montecito Village and Butterfly Beach, was immediately cordoned off to all traffic as area residents were warned to remain inside their homes.

Shortly after 9:30 a.m., SBSD deputies “brought in a robot to help survey the scene,” Williams reported to the media, adding that the department’s military tank-style heavily armored “Bearcat” was also deployed.  This display of hardware was accompanied by SBSD special weapons and tactics units who arrived outfitted for automatic weapons combat.  According to Williams, the show of force was a reaction to a concern that the suspect, Paul Robinette, 43 of Oxnard, might access a firearm in his nearby vehicle, “grab the gun and then there’s a shootout.”

As Robinette never made any such move nor displayed any firearm throughout the standoff during which he simply held a knife to his own throat and shouted threats of suicide, deputies managed to deploy a “flash-bang device” as described by Williams, which summarily distracted Robinette who dropped his knife.  Once he was so disarmed, deputies then fired semi-automatic non-lethal rubber bullets and quickly subdued Robinette.

Robinette was then taken into custody and transported via ambulance to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital for treatment of any wounds he may have suffered.

Robinette had been engaged in a similar incident in April 2012 when he ran through traffic on Pacific Coast Highway near Point Mugu while stabbing himself repeatedly.  He was brought under control on that occasion by a single taser shot.

No charges have been filed pursuant to today’s events, although “that remains an option,” according to Williams, who added “hopefully this person is going to get the help he needs.”

Read more:

San Jose Mercury News: Knife-Wielding Man Disarmed After 4-Hour Standoff

Noozhawk: Standoff Finally Ends With Suicidal Man in Montecito

Fillmore Gazette: Oxnard Man Attempts Suicide During Morning Commute on PCH