Los Angeles man arrested in Carpinteria cannabis burglary; Detectives eye links to additional heists

Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s detectives have arrested a Los Angeles man in connection with a Carpinteria-area cannabis grow burglary that investigators say netted hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of marijuana, adding a major development to a case first reported after a chaotic predawn response in early February.

Detectives identified 22-year-old Dvaryae Bryant of Los Angeles as a suspect following a January 17, 2026 burglary in the 4000 block of Foothill Road. The burglary took place at approximately 1:47 a.m., and the suspects fled before deputies arrived.

Working with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) on a parallel investigation, authorities arrested Bryant on February 18, 2026, at his residence in the 2300 block of South Victoria Avenue in the Jefferson Park neighborhood. During the arrest, detectives recovered a short-barrel assault rifle that Bryant allegedly threw from a window.

Later that day, Sheriff’s detectives and LAPD served an additional search warrant in the 12000 block of Cranbrook Avenue in Hawthorne, recovering approximately 15 pounds of processed cannabis, additional firearms, and thousands of dollars in cash.

LAPD seized the firearms and cash as part of its investigation and on-view charges. Bryant was booked at the Van Nuys Jail for local charges and, following court proceedings in Los Angeles, will be extradited to Santa Barbara County on a no-bail felony warrant for burglary, conspiracy, grand theft, and a gang enhancement.

Investigators are also probing potential links between Bryant’s case and other similar burglaries in Santa Barbara County, including a second break-in at the same Foothill Road location on February 4, 2026.

The investigation remains active.

Earlier arrests and overnight search in Carpinteria

At approximately 2:57 a.m. on Wednesday, February 4, Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a burglary in progress in the 4500 block of Foothill Road. Responding units quickly learned the suspects had fled in several vehicles. Minutes later, deputies found a blue BMW SUV that had crashed and overturned near Foothill Road and Santa Monica.

Three suspects attempted to flee the wreck. Deputies detained two without incident; a third was taken into custody after a Taser was deployed. A handgun was recovered from the overturned SUV, and all three suspects were evaluated by medical personnel with no significant injuries reported.

The adult suspect, 21-year-old Abraham Bustos of Lynwood, was booked at the Main Jail on multiple felony charges — including burglary, conspiracy, grand theft, felon in possession of a firearm, carrying a loaded handgun, and child endangerment — and has since been released on $100,000 bail.

Two 17-year-old juveniles were booked into the Santa Maria Juvenile Hall on felony charges of burglary, conspiracy, and possession of an unregistered firearm, along with a misdemeanor obstruction charge.

Deputies also located a second related scene: a white-and-black Infiniti abandoned after a crash near Foothill Road and Cravens Lane. Investigators believe the occupants may have escaped by getting into a third vehicle.

The incident triggered a large multi-agency response involving the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, Santa Barbara Police Department, California Highway Patrol, Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, and a Sheriff’s Air Support helicopter. As a precaution, a shelter-in-place order covered Foothill Road from Santa Monica to Linden Avenue, and south to U.S. Highway 101, before being lifted around 5:30 a.m. Despite an extensive hours-long search, additional suspects were not located at that time, and authorities said others involved remained at large and should be considered armed.

Call for information

The Sheriff’s Office urges anyone with information about these burglaries to contact detectives at 805-681-4150. Anonymous tips can be submitted at sbsheriff.org/home/anonymous-tip or by calling 805-681-4171.