Photo: hunting for Castro
May 18, 2022 – Santa Barbara County, Ca.
Goleta resident Rafael Castro Jr., 41, was walking around on City of Goleta streets on the morning of May 17th , a free man under terms of his felony parole status. Given that, it would have been reasonable for him to carefully abide by the law, particularly as it applies to the perpetration of violence upon others.
Apparently, however, Castro Jr. took little heed of his parole status or of the norms of civil behavior as he was walking around with a loaded handgun, ammunition, and a knife in his possession—all items prohibited to him as a convicted felon.
This all came to the attention of Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s deputies when they responded to a 911 Emergency call for service reporting a stabbing incident. According to SBSD Public Information Officer Raquel Zick, “When deputies arrived, they learned that the suspect had fled the area, and that the adult male victim had been stabbed several times in the upper torso.”
Emergency medical services were immediately summoned to the scene. The victim, suffering “serious injuries” was transported to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital for treatment of his wounds. At that point, deputies summoned SBSD helictopter support and a K-9 team in an effort to track down their suspect.
Three hours later, at approximately 11:00 a.m., deputies located Castro Jr., made contact with him, and took him into custody “without incident.” He was found to be in possession of an “un- serialized ghost gun,” and was transported to Santa Barbara County Jail, where he was booked on multiple parole violations and charged with attempted murder. He remains in custody, with his bail set at $1,000,000.
Photo: Courtesy Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department
