A Santa Barbara County truck stop was the scene of a confrontation between a Bay Area murder suspect, and law enforcement officers which ended when the man shot himself.
Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s detectives say the story started yesterday, when a 30 year old man was shot to death in Oakland, and another man was identified as a suspect in the killing. Law enforcement officers received information early this morning that the wanted man might be in the Santa Maria area, and at around 5:45 a.m., his van was spotted at the Highway 101 truck stop at Betteravia Road.
The man was in the van, but refused to surrender. Officers surrounded and evacuated the area, a SWAT team was called, and a negotiator tried to convince the man to surrender. Investigators say at around 9:15, the man shot and critically wounded himself. His name hasn’t been released yet.
