A Santa Maria man is in custody after police say he was found wearing body armor and carrying loaded firearms during an early morning incident that led officers to a cache of weapons and ammunition at his home.
According to the Santa Maria Police Department, officers were investigating a reported robbery in the 1000 block of North Broadway around 3:18 a.m. on Saturday when they say they heard between five and eight gunshots nearby.
Officers responded to the area and located a man matching the description of a suspect involved in a recent assault. He was reportedly wearing body armor and armed with two loaded handguns at the time of his arrest.
Police identified the suspect as 23-year-old Emmanuel Munguia Zaragoza of Santa Maria.
Detectives later served a search warrant at Zaragoza’s residence, where they say they discovered a stockpile of firearms and a large amount of ammunition. All of the items were seized as evidence.
Zaragoza was booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail on multiple weapons-related charges. He remains in custody as the investigation continues.
