Two Men Arrested On Attempted Murder Allegations After Robbery in Downtown Santa Maria
SANTA MARIA, CA — October 2, 2026 — Two Santa Maria men were taken into custody on charges of attempted murder and robbery.
On the night of September 18, Santa Maria Police Department patrol units
responded to a 911 Emergency call reporting a shooting in a downtown commercial
district alley.
According to SMPD spokesman Lt. Andy Magallon, witnesses on the scene indicated
that two Hispanic men approached the victim and attempted to rob him. One of those
suspects was reported to have been armed with an AR-15-style rifle.
Detectives soon identified Irwin Lara, 32, of Santa Maria as a suspect and took him into
custody.
Evidence led to a search warrant for Israel Gonzalez, 21, also of Santa Maria was issued.
During the early morning hours of October 1, Santa Maria police detectives and
members of the department’s SWAT team served the warrants at a Santa Maria
residence where Gonzalez was located and taken into custody without incident.
Gonzalez was transported to Santa Barbara County Jail where he was booked on
charges of attempted murder, assault with a firearm, negligent discharge of a firearm,
possession of a firearm by a felon and attempted robbery.
Gonzalez and Lara both remain in custody with bail set at $1 million each.
– by F. Scott Faulkner
