Suspect in fatal midtown shooting taken into custody after SWAT arrest in West Sacramento
Sacramento police say they have arrested a suspect in connection with the deadly weekend shooting that stemmed from a disturbance inside a sports bar and led to a shootout along a popular midtown block.
Investigators arrested Michael Escobar, 23, for his alleged role in the shootout on J Street that left one person dead at the intersection with 28th Street, the Sacramento Police Department announced Monday morning in a news release.
“Detectives located him in West Sacramento and he was taken into custody with assistance from the Yolo County Regional SWAT team,” police said in the release. “He has been booked into the Sacramento County Jail on charges of assault with a firearm and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.”
Escobar faces two felony counts — assault on a person with a semi-automatic firearm and possession of a firearm by a felon — and remains in Sacramento County Main Jail without bail. He is expected to be arraigned Tuesday afternoon in Sacramento Superior Court.
The shooting occurred about 12:45 a.m. Sunday in the 2700 block of J Street — home to Harlow’s nightclub, BarWest sports bar, the Red Rabbit Kitchen and Bar, and Centro Cocina Mexicana.
Sgt. Zach Eaton, a Sacramento police spokesman, said a disturbance inside BarWest led to staff ejecting a group of people from the sports bar. He said he didn’t know what exactly was involved in the disturbance but it was enough for staff to order a group of people to leave the sports bar.
“They did what they were supposed to do,” Eaton said of the bar staff.
He said it was unclear whether anyone involved in the disturbance was armed with a gun inside the bar, but the investigation has determined that at least one of the people involved in the shooting had been ejected from the bar before going outside and retrieving a gun.
Then, the shootout occurred. Eaton said he did not know who went outside to retrieve the gun. He said on Monday investigators still believe there were only two people who fired a gun in the shooting, and the Police Department at this time did not expect to make any additional arrests.
The victim, who has not been identified, was pronounced dead at the scene by Sacramento Fire Department personnel after suffering “multiple gunshot wounds.” No other injuries were reported.
Eaton said the man killed in the shooting was found just inside James Marshall Park, but it’s clear to investigators that the shootout occurred in the middle of the intersection.
“This investigation remains active, and detectives will continue to work with the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office to determine if additional charges may be filed,” police said in a statement.
The incident marked the third late-night shooting on the city’s grid outside of popular late-night spots.
An April 3 gang shootout downtown around 10th and K streets killed six people and wounded 12. Three suspects — Mtula Payton and brothers Smiley and Dandrae Martin — face murder and other charges in that incident.
On July 4, one person was killed and four were injured after shots rang out in front of the Mix Downtown nightclub at 16th and L streets. A suspect has not been identified in that shooting.
Eaton said residents have “a right to be upset,” not only about the three “tragic” shootings outside late night entertainment businesses but also gun violence that impacts other areas of the city. He said the Police Department is continuing its multi-pronged approach to responding to shootings and working to prevent them.
So far this year, Sacramento police has confiscated 113 illegally possessed guns in downtown alone. Eaton said “That’s a lot of firearms.”
The department also has increased patrols in the downtown area to create a more visible presence to act as a deterrence to violence. Eaton said there were seven patrol officers when this weekend’s shooting occurred, and their sole assignment was to patrol from 30th Street to the Old Sacramento Waterfront. He said there were an additional seven officers working in the downtown core that night, along with two other officers working on a specific assignment downtown.
The department’s Real Time Crime Center is participating in a pilot program that obtains video footage that helped direct officers in their response to Sunday’s deadly shooting. Eaton said the center also keeps an eye out for hot spots that indicate violence could happen and directs officers to quell the disturbance.
Eaton said downtown Sacramento is “generally a safe area,” but officers are continuing to respond to gun violence from all angles, including working with community groups to intervene before disputes escalate to gunfire.
This story was originally published September 26, 2022 at 10:47 AM.
