UPDATE: Armed Suspect Arrested Following Pursuit in Santa Barbara’s Westside Neighborhood

A 38-year-old man was arrested Sunday after police say he brandished a firearm and fled from officers, prompting a brief pursuit that later shifted into an aerial-assisted search across Santa Barbara’s Westside.

According to a Santa Barbara Police Department press release, officers were dispatched at about 4:03 p.m. on March 22 to Olive and Ortega streets for a report of a firearm brandishing.

The victim provided suspect vehicle information, and officers located the car and attempted a traffic stop. The driver allegedly failed to yield, and a pursuit moved from city streets onto Highway 101 before being discontinued near Carpinteria due to public safety concerns.

Roughly an hour later, an officer found the same vehicle parked and unoccupied near the 1300 block of Kowalski Avenue.

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office Air Unit responded to provide aerial support. Police said they received information about a person in the area matching the suspect’s description and soon located and arrested Eri Arzate, 38, without incident.

Arzate was booked into Santa Barbara County Jail on suspicion of felony criminal threats, felony brandishing of a firearm, felony assault on an officer, felony evading, misdemeanor driving on a suspended license, and misdemeanor possession of tear gas by a prohibited person. Police did not immediately release additional details about injuries.

Earlier in the afternoon, edhat readers and residents reported a Sheriff’s helicopter circling the Westside and described heavy police activity throughout the neighborhood.

Public flight-tracking data showed the helicopter departed Santa Ynez Airport around 4:34 p.m. and orbited sections of the Westside for over an hour.

According to one reader,  Santa Barbara Police were in pursuit and the driver was not pulling over. Near Gillespie and Mission Streets the driver slowed down the vehicle while police were shouting commands for the male driver to exit with arms raised.

The driver opened the door and a large bang was heard. The edhat reader was unsure if it was a gunshot and whether this was from the police or the suspect. After the bang, the suspect slammed the door shut and sped off on Mission Street towards Chino Street.

Another reader stated the suspect, described as around 5’9″ in height with tattoos, wearing a black shirt and blue shorts, attempted to enter her backyard near Gillespie and Valerio Streets.

Readers later stated they witnessed the suspect being arrested after attempting to hide in front lawns near Mission and Chino Streets.

Several edhat readers living on the Westside expressed concern and frustration that there were no alerts from the police department to shelter in place or to be aware of an armed and possibly dangerous subject running around a highly dense residential area.

“This is insane. Why didn’t the police department issue an alert to all residents to shelter in place? Especially as this subject was entering private property and yards!” one reader wrote in.

The police department did not make a mention of this in their press release and it’s unclear why an emergency alert was not issued to residents.

This is a developing story.