Search Continues for Suspect in Moped Theft

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office is requesting the public’s help in locating suspect Lev Daniel Zurita, a 24-year-old resident of Santa Barbara.

Deputies found Zurita and his girlfriend, 24-year-old Melany Perez, fighting in the Turnpike Shopping Center over a recently stolen moped. Zurita fled the scene, running across Hollister Avenue, over a brick wall, and into the backyard of a home on nearby Rosemead Street. Perez also fled but was quickly found and arrested outside San Marcos High School for possession of stolen property and a switchblade.

Assisting in the unsuccessful search for Zurita was the Isla Vista Foot Patrol, a K-9 team, and Santa Barbara County Air Support. Through that investigation, information also revealed Zurita is on probation and had cut off his GPS monitoring device. If you have any information on Zurita’s whereabouts, call 911 or leave an anonymous tip at 805-681-4171.