By F. Scott Faulkner
July 17, 2026 – Santa Barbara, CA.
An assault victim sought treatment at a local fire station, eventually leading to the arrest of his assailant.
On the morning of July 15, Santa Barbara Police Department patrol units where
dispatched to a downtown location a short distance from the city’s principal downtown
fire station pursuant to a report of a man with a laceration to his hand outside the fire
station.
According to SBPD spokesman Lt. Ryan DeJohn, the victim hand arrived at the Santa
Barbara City Fire Station “seeking help for his injury,” at which time he reported that he
had been “assaulted by an acquaintance.”
Emergency medical personnel treated the victim; he was then taken by ambulance to
Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital for additional care.
Investigators arrived at the scene and quickly began searching for the alleged assailant
based on the victim’s account. Within an hour, SBPD officers located the suspect as he
was walking away from the scene four blocks away. A brief interrogation ensued which
led to the identification of the suspect as David A. Crone, 41 of Santa Barbara.
Crone was taken into custody and transported to Santa Barbara County Jail where he
was booked on a charge of assault with a deadly weapon. He remains in custody on a
no-bail hold.
