– By F. Scott Faulkner
SANTA BARBARA, CA — April 2, 2026 — A suspected drunk driver slammed into two stopped vehicles at a downtown Santa Barbara
intersection, injuring four people in the evening of March 27.
According to Santa Barbara Police Department spokesman Cmdr. Charlie Katsapis, “the driver immediately attempted to flee
on foot before being detained by a bystander.”
That bystander, an employee from a nearby restaurant, “actively pursued the suspect” and
physically restrained him until the cops arrived.
When SBPD patrol officers arrived at the scene, they identified the driver as Ryan Andrew Hill, 51, of Santa Barbara.
The investigation indicated that Hill’s pickup truck rear-ended two vehicles
waiting at a traffic signal.
Four people suffered injuries as a result of the crash, one of whom was
taken by ambulance to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital with minor injuries.
Further investigation indicated that alcohol was a factor in the crash and that Hill was driving
“with a blood alcohol content above the legal limit of 0.08 percent.”
Five days later, on April 1, the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office filed charges of
driving under the influence and leaving the scene of an injury crash involving multiple victims.
An arrest warrant was issued, and Hill was taken into custody and transported to Santa Barbara
County Jail, with his bail set at $100,000.
