A Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s deputy is recovering from a stab wound he suffered while responding to a 911 call from a man threatening to hurt someone.
Dispatchers received a phone call just after noon on Friday morning from a man they say was agitated and making statements that he might hurt someone. He made two calls, with dispatchers saying he said the same threats both times.
Deputies arrived on the 4500 block of Hollister Avenue and saw Abu Baker Sugich outside. They say they didn’t approach him and tried to calm him down.
The officers say that at one point, the man walked away, but then returned, and without warning, stabbed one of the deputies in the upper chest with a hunting knife. They quickly took the man to the ground and handcuffed him.
Fellow deputies started first aid on the injured officer. He was taken to a hospital, but fortunately, the wound wasn’t life-threatening. He was treated and released later in the day.
Sugich was arrested on charges of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon. He’s being held at the Santa Barbara County Jail in lieu of a million dollars bail.
