Teenager arrested for attempted murder after allegedly shooting two young men at Haskell's Beach in Goleta

Santa Barbara County Sheriff's officials arrested a 15-year-old male suspect on attempted murder charges after he allegedly shot two men in their early twenties at Haskell's Beach in Goleta after midnight Sunday.

According to sheriff's spokeswoman Raquel Zick, officers responded to a report of a shooting on the beach near the Ritz-Carlton Bacara at approximately 12:51 a.m. on Sept. 22. When they arrived, officers found the two victims suffering from gunshot wounds; one victim had been shot once in the hip and the other in both legs. The victims were taken to a nearby hospital and are expected to survive.

Officers set up a security perimeter and began searching for the suspect, who allegedly showed gang signs to the victims before shooting them. Officers found the suspect around 2:19 a.m. and arrested him after he allegedly attempted to flee on foot and dropped a handgun. The handgun was registered to an owner outside the area and had not been reported stolen, Zick said.

The suspect was arrested at the Santa Maria Juvenile Detention Center on two counts of attempted murder, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, concealed weapon possession, gang violence and use of a firearm in the commission of a crime. Zick explained that juveniles are not eligible for bail and the case will be forwarded to the juvenile court system for adjudication.

It does not appear that the suspect and the victims know each other, Zick said.