Illegal Weapons Arrest After Gunfire Incident in Downtown Santa Maria
– By F. Scott Faulkner
SANTA MARIA, CA — September 25, 2025 — A man wearing body armor and armed with two loaded handguns was arrested by law enforcement.
Emmanuel Munguia Zaragoza, 22, of Santa Maria, was reportedly shooting off rounds in a downtown, residential neighborhood.
Santa Maria Police Department officers investigating a robbery in the pre-dawn hours of
September 20 stumbled into something more threatening than they had anticipated: a man
armed to the teeth and a home filled with guns and ammunition.
According to SMPD Lt. Todd Logan, the chain of events began around 3:20 a.m., when “officers
responded to a reported robbery” in a residential neighborhood just north of the downtown area.
While checking the area, both officers and nearby residents “suddenly heard a series of gunshots
ringing out to the northeast.” Witnesses described hearing “between five and eight rounds.”
Rushing toward the sound of gunfire, officers encountered a man who fit the description of a
suspect wanted in a recent assault case – Zaragoza.
Detectives then secured a warrant to search Zaragoza’s residence. Inside, they discovered “a
stockpile of weapons and a large quantity of ammunition.” All of it was seized and logged as
evidence.
Zaragoza was booked into the Santa Barbara County Northern Branch Jail on suspicion of
multiple weapons-related crimes. He remained in custody Sunday morning, with bail set at
$85,000.
