Suspicious Vehicle Accident

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Around 11PM Sunday, a call went out about a possible vehicle accident on the NB 101 freeway near the Salinas Street off ramp in Santa Barbara.

Initially, SBPD cruised by Old Coast Highway and discovered that indeed a vehicle had crashed through the fence, and a truck was discovered down the ditch in thick brush next to the freeway.

No one was found with the vehicle. Police set up a perimeter to search for a possible body or at least someone hurt. A K9 unit was brought in and police used a loud horn to call out to the suspected driver of the truck. At one point, police called out to anyone that was in the brush, that they needed to come out with their hands up or the dog would be released.

Additionally, Santa Barbara City Fire was called out to assist SBPD with thermal technology to help locate anyone that may have been hurt in the thick brush. As of yet, no one has been found near the crash site.

Police are still investigating the mysterious crash.

Anyone with any information may contact the Santa Barbara Police Department.

 

 

 

**UPDATE**

Ronald Anthony Beltran, age 39, of Santa Barbara, was arrested for attempted murder, auto theft, hit & run, and resisting or delaying an officer following an altercation with a family member.  The suspect and victim reside together in the same household.

On January 5, 2014 at 11:30 p.m., officers from the Santa Barbara Police Department responded to a call of a vehicle stolen from a residence on the 1100 block of N. Milpas Street.  Upon arrival the victim, a 46-year old male relative of the suspect, reported that Beltran had stolen his truck.  The victim also informed the investigating officers that Beltran had stabbed him during an altercation that occurred earlier in the day.

Beltran was booked into Santa Barbara County Jail on the aforementioned charges and is being held without bail.  Photo provided by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.

Beltran would not reveal his motive for stabbing his relative; thus far the attack appears to have been unprovoked.  Investigation indicates that he took the victim’s truck in order to provoke another confrontation with the victim.  Relatives stated that Beltran had been drinking heavily prior to the incident.

Pedestrian Killed in SB and IV Robberies

It was certainly a tragic Saturday night when a woman and her dog were struck and killed by multiple vehicles on Highway 101 just after 11pm. The fatal accident happened next to the Milpas south off ramp where traffic was being directed to exit. Southbound Highway 101 was completely closed off at this location for several hours until law enforcement officials completed their investigation.

Captain Chris Mailes from the Santa Barbara Fire Department says two engines were dispatched to the scene. However, upon arrival, the California Highway Patrol had already declared the woman deceased. Both bodies on the road were covered up but that was no console for the multiple drivers that were witness to the tragic event. As a reader and witness states, “I drove past the severed body not knowing what it was til I saw the look on a woman's face that had pulled over. Most gruesome sight I have ever seen.” Officers were faced with the task of providing support for the traumatized drivers.

It is unclear what this woman was doing on the freeway with her dog, but a Santa Barbara police official pointed out to the fact that there are homeless camps around the area close to the highway. Some residents believe the dog perhaps wandered into the 101 with a concerned owner trying to retrieve it. Whatever the case may be, the facts of the case will not be known until law officials complete their investigation, and even then certain aspects of this tragedy may never be known.

In Isla Vista, a young woman reported she had a phone stolen from her while on Del Playa Drive around 1:20AM. She claimed a black male adult she had befriended earlier, about 5’4”, 130lbs, beach blonde hair and dark clothing, was the suspect. Minutes later, a man reported being robbed in the 6500 block of Segovia Rd. in Isla Vista when a dark red sedan pulled up next to him. According to the victim, the passenger in the sedan, described as a college age black mail with facial hair, made a motion that appeared as though he had a gun. The suspect then took the victim’s cell phone and wallet, although he left the cell phone before driving away.

According to scanner traffic, police were called to the downtown area near Carrillo St. around 2AM to investigate recent activity placed on a credit card that was believed to be the victim’s. Some time later, it appeared as though the red sedan associated with the IV robbery was stopped by police. UCSB sent out a reverse 911 informing students of the two crimes.

The Biggest Rollercoaster of My Life

You know, I have never been as close to death as I was yesterday. I have never seen my name plastered on so many media outlets and other members of the press. I’ve been shooting news for well over two years now, and I have to say, it’s a strange feeling to BE the news. One just has to google “KEYT news van accident” and all the bits and pieces of information tell the story of what happened yesterday, but what a better source of information than coming from me, the driver and cameraman.
On April 26, 2010 at about 2:45pm, KEYT senior reporter John Palminteri and I are driving back to our station in Santa Barbara from Arroyo Grande on Southbound HWY 101. We had just finished shooting our last story of the day. Driving at about 70 MPH on the fast lane and everything is fine. Suddenly, the van begins to go out of control as John calls out to me that a tire had just blown out. I try to maintain control of the News Van. I look at the passenger’s side mirror and I see chunks of tire flying out onto the highway. The force and weight placed on that shredded tire was too great for my efforts to maintain control. The van swerves left. It begins to tilt sideways. I turn to John and yell out “John hold on! hold on!” The van makes contact with the ground and suddenly I cannot tell the sky from the ground. My eyes are open. As we roll I turn to John and see he is safely fastened onto his seat as am I. I close my eyes for a brief moment. Everything stops.
The system’s alarm goes off. “Beep! Beep!” I open my eyes. I realize the van in on its side because John is below me still fastened onto his chair as am I. I turn to John yelling out “John are you okay!” John responds “Yes! We need to get out of here. Take out your cell phone and call for help!” As I struggle to get my cell phone out of my left pocket, a man approaches the windshield in a hurry and asks how he can help and what we need. I yell back “Call for help!” The man informs me medics are on their way. The glass on my driver’s side window is missing. Windshield is shattered but still in its frame. I kick the windshield outwards hoping that it will create an opening for John and I to exit. I don’t see an exit. I am careful to not step on John and I place a foot beside him as I release my belt buckle. I am standing upright. The Driver’s side window directly above my head. I begin to climb for what it seems to be an eternity. With all my strength I manage to climb out of the window. My right leg is stuck. I feel John’s hands grasp my leg and push up. I thrust up. Fresh air.
KEYT VAN ACCIDENT  
I’m on top of the van and I climb down into the arms of passer-bys. They sit me on the grassy ground. John joins me moments later. I take out the company’s cell phone and begin to dial the newsroom. I hand the phone to John and he informs the newsroom of our situation. A few people tend to him. I begin to ask if John is alright. I want John safe. Worrying about myself is the last thing on my mind. A woman approaches me and informs me that I look in worse shape than John. Blood all over my face and hands. I ask if they see any significant cuts on my face. Some think I am bleeding from the nose, others from the side of my head. Later it is discovered I suffered a minor superficial cut on my lower left cheek. Nothing in my body hurts or aches. The woman administers a few tests to make sure I do not have a concussion. I don’t. Paramedics arrive and administer John and I some tests to see if our bodies are fine or not. My media pager goes off. I ask a paramedic if another media outlet is on scene. He informs me KSBY has just arrived. 
A CHP officer approaches me and begins to ask me questions about the accident. I answer them all as best as I can and a fireman approaches me also to ask me if there is any hazardous material inside the van that could be dangerous and could produce radiation. I tell him “no,” but that he should call our station’s engineers. He says he is in contact with KCOY’s engineers.
The paramedics want to take John and I to the hospital and proceed to put us in a gurney. I over hear the paramedics say a camera is right infront of us. I ask “where is the camera?”, “by your feet.” I give a thumbs up in hopes that whoever was shooting captured it. John and I are loaded into the ambulance and taken to Marian Medical Center in Santa Maria. En route, the paramedic takes our blood pressure. We arrive at the hospital and they put John and I in separate rooms. Nurses and others come to me and begin to ask me questions. I am given an opportunity to call my parents and let them know I am alright. I am visited by KCOY’s news director, John, on behalf of my boss. John brings a nice woman with him. I wish I could recall her name. I am informed that KEYT’s chief photographer and General Manager are en route to Santa Maria. John and I are finally released from the hospital. No CAT scans for me, just a careful cleaning of my wounds in one of their restrooms. KCOY’s news director and his friend stay with John and I until KEYT’s GM arrives, and we can safely go to the junkyard to pick up important accessories from the destroyed News Van and finally head home.
This was the biggest rollercoaster of my life as of yet, and I hope it never happens again. I got lucky this time, next time I may not be so lucky. I really feel that perhaps there was a guardian angel watching over John and I that day. Witnesses told us the van lifted off the ground and rolled over twice. Clearly, this accident was an extremely serious one, and I feel blessed and fortunate to walk away with only minor superficial cuts and abrasions. I have to confess, I did not know what to write as my first entry of this blog, but upon seeing all the media coverage and attention this story received, I decided that it was only fair to “hear it from the horse’s mouth.”