Santa Barbara Man Arrested After Pointing Replica Firearm at Police
Officers Were Investigating Reported Burglary Near Mission Street When a Man Pulled a Loaded Pellet Gun
A routine police call turned scary in Santa Barbara on Tuesday, November 14, when a man pulled out a handgun — later found to be a replica — and pointed it at two officers investigating a burglary that had been reported nearby at an apartment complex on West Mission Street.
The incident occurred shortly after 5:30 p.m. as two Santa Barbara Police officers were investigating a burglary at an apartment on the 300 block of West Mission Street. While canvassing the area, the officers contacted a witness who claimed to have a video of the alleged break-in. The officers then knocked on the door of a nearby apartment to interview another witness.
While the officers spoke with the man in the doorway of his apartment, another man, who was later identified as 47-year-old Jeremy Howell, came from inside the apartment, “produced a handgun over the witness’s shoulder, and pointed the weapon at the two officers” while standing behind the witness, according to a statement from Santa Barbara Police spokesperson Sgt. Ethan Ragsdale.
The two officers “immediately sought cover and drew their duty weapons,” Ragsdale said, while the man in the doorway — who police described as an older man using a walker — quickly grabbed Howell’s hand with the gun and proceeded to “push him back into the apartment, proclaiming to the officers that the weapon was a pellet gun.”
Within seconds, the officers rushed in to grab Howell and secure the weapon, which they learned was a loaded replica Colt Defender 1911 pellet gun, and Howell was arrested and taken to Santa Barbara County Jail for brandishing a replica firearm and assault on a peace officer. His bail was set at $2,500.
“The officers used tremendous restraint during this incident and rapidly took into account the totality of the situation,” Ragsdale said. “It seemed that Howell was using the walker-bound resident as a ‘shield,’ preventing officers from utilizing any form of force or the ability to defend themselves. These officers and all officers at the Santa Barbara Police Department hold the reverence of life in the highest regard.”
Ragsdale credited the officers for their “quick thinking, training, and ability to examine this extremely intense situation” while balancing the priorities of public safety, officer safety, and “preserving the sanctity of life.”
“Santa Barbara police officers prioritize de-escalation whenever possible, demonstrating a commitment to resolving conflicts with minimal harm,” Ragsdale said. “Thankfully, no one was injured during this incident, though this could have turned into a potentially deadly situation.”
