Shots Fired On Busy Central Coast Beach

Man arrested following gunshots on Central Coast beach.
Pismo Beach Police Department Image

Man facing multiple charges from incident in Pismo Beach.

A Central Coast beach was rocked by gunfire Sunday, but fortunately no one was hurt.

Pismo Beach received reports just before 11 a.m. of a man seen loading a pistol in the city’s downtown area. As officers headed to the scene they received multiple 9-1-1 calls about reports of shots fired on the beach.

Witnesses say they saw a man firing shots into the ground. Joel Vela was identified as the gunman and the 18-year-old was taken into custody without incident.

Officers say the Central Valley man had gotten into an argument with his female friend and when she walked away he apparently fired the shots to get her attention. No one was hurt. Vela was arrested on multiple charges ranging from negligent discharge of a firearm to public intoxication.

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Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral.