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SANTA BARBARA, CA – 2/16/2007 – On 2/12/07 at 10:15 p.m., a 20-year-old man was walking alone across the Anapamu Footbridge.  He nervously approached three men loitering mid-span.  As he drew along side, suspects #2 and #3 circled behind him, cutting off the escape route.  Suspect #1 leveled a silver colored large frame revolver at the victim, demanding cash.  The suspects robbed the man of his wallet and cell phone.  The suspects ordered the victim to not follow as they fled on cruiser style bicycles.  The victim reported the incident to police.  This incident was the latest in a series of street level robberies committed on the Westside by groups of young men on bicycles.  The following day (2/13/07) the victim was working at a downtown retail store when Suspect #1 entered the store.  The victim immediately recognized him as the suspect and called police.  Officers responded and arrested Geovanni Delcarmen, age 24.  He is a known gang member.  Detectives obtained a search warrant for Delcarmen’s residence in the apartment complex at 320 W. Mission Street.  Detectives recovered evidence connecting him to the robbery including the victim’s cell phone and an empty pistol holster.  Unrelated to the robbery case, police also seized a dozen driver’s licenses belonging to area residents, several credit cards, two I-Pods, and three computers.  Some of this property has been traced as stolen.  On 2/14/07 police recovered a silver colored .357 magnum revolver that was hidden at a neighbor’s apartment in the same complex.  It matches the one used in the robbery.  Delcarmen was booked for armed robbery by means of a firearm and commission of a crime in furtherance of a criminal street gang.  His bail is $50,000.

SANTA BARBARA, CA – 2/12/2007 – On 2/10/07, at 12:05 a.m., an officer tried to stop a man riding a bicycle at 700 Chapala Street for possessing an opened can of beer.  Instead of stopping for this minor violation, the man pedaled away as fast as he could.  The officer radioed for assistance.  The suspect tried to escape by riding the wrong way up De La Vina Street, and down Bath Street.  Despite this, officers found the bicycle abandoned in a yard at 700 Bath Street.  They heard the sound of the suspect jumping fences to escape.  Directed by the sound of fences being scaled and the suspect’s labored breathing, police arrested David Barraza age 45, hiding in a backyard.  His shoes and pants were caked in mud from a hasty crossing of Mission Creek.  Instead of being released with a warning or a citation for the original violation, Barraza’s short flight from police compounded his charges to include: resisting arrest, prowling through private property, and violation of probation.   

On 2/10/07 at 6:35 p.m., a woman motorist was rear ended at 300 W. Mission Street by a bright yellow 1972 VW Bug.  The woman received neck injuries.  The driver of the Bug backed up and sped away without stopping.  A witness followed the suspect vehicle and used a cell phone to call police.  With the citizen’s assistance, police stopped the suspect on upper State Street.  The driver, Jonathan Schwartz, age 47, was arrested for felony DUI and hit and run causing injury.  The injured woman was treated and released from Cottage Hospital.

On 2/11/07 at 1:15 a.m. police responded to the Cliff Room bar at 1828 Cliff Drive on a call of two men fighting.  Police contacted one combatant, Robert Ray Balderez, age 37.  He had four (4) warrants; each with $100,000 bail.  The violations all were for Section 1320 of the Penal Code: Failure to appear in court after being released on “Own Recognizance”, commonly known as an ‘O.R. release.’  In this case, calling attention to himself by engaging in a barroom brawl landed Balderez in jail.

SANTA BARBARA, CA – 2/7/2007  Shortly before 7:00 a.m., a Union Pacific freight train was traveling southbound through Santa Barbara.  Unlike passenger trains, freights do not usually stop at the Amtrak train station.  The speed was an estimated 35 mph.  As the train approached State Street, the traffic warning control arms functioned properly along with flashing lights and a distinctive warning bell.  Meanwhile, a woman identified as Judy Williamson, age 45, was walking northbound on the east sidewalk of State Street.  According to the train engineer, Williamson turned her head and appeared to see the rapidly approaching train.  Despite this, she tried to cross the tracks just as the train bore down on her.  She increased her walking speed to a distinctive shuffling gait.  Williamson made it across the double steel rails, but was struck by the left front portion of the locomotive as it overhangs over the rails.  Williamson was knocked clear of the train, but was pronounced dead at the scene.  Available records show Williamson as being a homeless and having lived in Santa Barbara only a few months.  Her next of kin has been notified.  The time of the accident was 6:56 a.m.  The incident was investigated by SBPD and Union Pacific officials.  The train remained stopped at the scene for about one hour, which blocked traffic on State Street.    This it the first train related fatality in 2007.  There were three pedestrian versus train fatalities in 2006.  SBPD warns the public to take heed when railroad warnings signs are activated.  Studies have shown that people often misjudge the speed of approaching trains.  Be smart and wait the few minutes until conditions are safe.