Man Charged with Attempted Murder After Deputy Stabbed at Goleta Homeless Housing Site
– By F. Scott Faulkner
GOLETA VALLEY, CA — March 22, 2026
A routine welfare check in the Goleta Valley escalated into violence just after midnight on March
20th when a man stabbed a sheriff’s deputy during a tense confrontation at a homeless housing
site.
According to Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department Public Information Officer Raquel
Zick, SBSD deputies responded to a 911 Emergency call reporting that 44-year-old Goleta
resident Abu Baker Sugich, 44, was “in an agitated state and made statements suggesting he intended
to harm someone.”
When deputies arrived, they located Sugich on the property and “quickly recognized his erratic
behavior.”
Maintaining distance, they attempted to calm him through repeated verbal commands.
Those efforts continued for several minutes as deputies worked to defuse the situation.
The encounter took a sudden turn when Sugich briefly walked away, then returned and advanced
toward one of the deputies.
“Without warning, Sugich produced a black hunting-style knife and stabbed Deputy Fabian Flores in the upper chest.”
Other deputies immediately intervened, restraining Sugich and taking him into custody. Flores
was treated at the scene before being transported by ambulance to Santa Barbara Cottage
Hospital. He was later treated and released.
Sugich was transported to Santa Barbara County Jail, where he was booked on suspicion of
attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon. He remains in custody with his bail set at $1
million.
