A suspected shooter has been arrested following several hours of an armed standoff with police.
The standoff began around 11:00 p.m. on Saturday night when Santa Maria Police responded to a call of a man threatening another man with a gun at a residence on the 500 block W Taft St. in Santa Maria.
When officers arrived on the scene, a shot was reportedly fired in their direction. The subject was then seen with a gun running from the location.
According to the Santa Maria Police Department, additional gunshots were heard in the area and nearby residences were quickly evacuated. The Santa Maria Police Department requested additional resources to help with the search for the suspect, including air support from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office.
Officials say an emergency shelter in place alert was sent out around midnight when additional information indicated the suspect was still armed in the area.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office SWAT team and K9 officers were then recruited to help with the search. Officers were able to locate the suspect who had barricaded himself inside a residence on the 500 block W Polk St.
After several hours of negotiations with The SMPD Crisis Negotiation Team, the suspect surrendered and was arrested around 7:45 a.m. Sunday. The shelter in place alert was then lifted.
Officials say the initial investigation has revealed that the suspect shot the victim at least two times during the late night dispute. The victim suffered non-life threatening injuries.
The suspect has been identified as 20-year-old Jose Manual Ramirez Magos, a Santa Maria resident. He is booked into Santa Barbara County Jail.
According to police, two firearms were recovered during the investigation and are being handled by the Detective Bureau.
This investigation is currently ongoing.
