– by F. Scott Faulkner
SANTA MARIA, CA — September 11, 2025 — A tense standoff outside Santa Maria stretched on for hours on the morning of September 9th before deputies finally took a machete-wielding man into custody.
According to Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department Public Information Officer Raquel Zick, the trouble began around 10:15 a.m., when SBSD deputies responded to reports of “a man inside a home brandishing a machete.” When deputies arrived at the reported residence, they found 48-year-old Nazario Gonzalez of Santa Maria barricaded inside.
As a safety measure, deputies “quickly evacuated” nearby residents. They then confirmed Gonzalez was alone in the home.
From there, the hours ticked by. The SBSD Crisis Negotiation Team and Special Enforcement Team were called in, along with K9 units and the department’s Air Support Unit helicopter. Officers from the Santa Maria Police Department, Lompoc Police Department, and California Highway Patrol also joined the effort.
“For several hours, deputies worked to negotiate a peaceful resolution; however, the suspect refused to comply.” At that point, some four hours after they first arrived on the scene, deputies deployed chemical agents, forcing Gonzalez out.
He was taken into custody without further incident and transported to the Northern Branch Jail where he was charged with assault with a deadly weapon and resisting arrest.
