Three Arrested In Fatal State Street Stabbing
Andie Lopez Bornet
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — One person is dead, two others are hospitalized, and three suspects are now in custody following a stabbing on State Street early Friday morning — just hours before the historic Fiesta parade.
The Santa Barbara Police Department (SBPD) is still investigating the incident and arrested 29-year-old Luis Gerardo Terrazas, in connection with the incident on Friday.
The SBPD later arrested a second suspect, 28-year-old Juan Fernando Rios, and took him into custody Saturday.
Rios was previously arrested in connection with a stabbing on State Street in February of 2018.
On Sunday, SBPD Police say 30-year-old Sergio Rivas was arrested without incident by investigators. He was also found to be in possession of a loaded firearm, according to the agency.
Santa Barbara Police Department shared that detectives believe that the individuals involved knew each other.
It’s raising concerns in the community as thousands flooded downtown for Old Spanish Days Fiesta.
“It’s unbelievable,” said local artist Chloé Marie Hourdequin. “There are so many people out, and there are children out too, while this happened.”
The attack happened just after midnight, around 12:23 a.m. on August 1.
Santa Barbara police say a passerby flagged down officers in the 500 block of State Street near Haley and Cota Streets, reporting a man with a knife.
Responding officers found a person with a stab wound on the ground and additional officers quickly secured the area and located two more victims nearby. All three were transported to Cottage Hospital, where one person transported from the scene later died.
The victim was identified as Anthony Michael Bisquera Hartley after a GoFundMe page was put up to raise money to help with burial costs. You can find the GoFundMe here.
“It is just horrendous to think that someone can commit that kind of atrocity in basically the most well-protected area,” Hourdequin said. “There are cops on every corner down here.”
Despite increased law enforcement presence for Fiesta, the violence unfolded just steps away from where families gathered to celebrate. Witnesses say the street was busy with music, dancing, and vendors in the moments leading up to the stabbing.
“I don’t know what it was about. I don’t know what transpired before that,” said one street vendor who witnessed the scene. “Everybody was just dancing on the street prior to that. It’s a very, very sad day, and I just hope [the victim] gets justice.”
The 500 block of State Street was closed from Hotel Santa Barbara to Old Kings Road as police investigated. A command post was set up at the corner of State and Cota Streets.
Santa Barbara Mayor Randy Rowse thanked first responders and urged the public to remain vigilant during the busy weekend.
“Our police department was on the scene within moments to render aid and locate anyone involved,” Rowse said. “All city resources are deployed to ensure a safe Fiesta weekend. If you see something of concern, always say something and call the police.”
Some community members expressed frustration and fear in the wake of the incident.
“I feel like it could have been a different outcome if there was a quicker response,” one vendor said. “There’s a bunch of cops out — it’s confusing.”
Others, like local resident Scott Martinez, said they still trust law enforcement.
“I’ve always felt safe in Santa Barbara because we’ve always had plenty of police here, and I’ve always respected the police,” Martinez said.
But for vendors like Sarina Carbajal, the risk of tensions boiling over during Fiesta remains top of mind.
“With drinking and Fiesta, it gets really wild out here,” Carbajal said. “So it could have been a confrontation.”
The Santa Barbara Police Department has asked anyone with information to contact the Santa Barbara Police Department at 805-882-8900.