‘Armed and dangerous’ Santa Maria man wanted for assault involving firearm evades police

A man who assaulted a girl with a firearm eluded Santa Maria police after a standoff that lasted hours Saturday proved fruitless, officials said.

Police officers responded to a residence in the 500 block of West Donovan Road in Santa Maria at 1:30 a.m. following a report of an assault.

Officers contacted the victim, a juvenile, who said that an adult male resident of the house, Hugo Garcia Ramirez, 40, of Santa Maria, had just attempted to assault her, Santa Maria police said.

The victim, who was uninjured, escaped through the rear of the house to a nearby residence and contacted police.

Authorities believed that Ramirez was still in the house, so the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department SWAT team and negotiators from the Santa Maria Police Department were dispatched along with other police officers.

The SWAT team eventually raided the house and opened a vehicle in the driveway of the residence, but Ramirez was not there. Authorities believe he escaped before the initial police response.

The Santa Maria Police Department has issued a felony warrant for his arrest.

Ramirez is wanted on suspicion of several felonies and is considered armed and dangerous. Anyone with information on Ramirez is asked to contact Santa Maria police.

This story was originally published December 14, 2019 at 4:50 PM with the headline "‘Armed and dangerous’ Santa Maria man wanted for assault involving firearm evades police."