Lompoc man arrested for shooting, standoff

August 8, 2016

Lompoc police arrested a man Saturday after he shot another man in the face with a pellet gun and then barricaded himself in a residence.

Shortly after 3 p.m., officers responding to a report of gunshots in the 500 block of North L Street discovered a man with a pellet embedded in his forehead. Officers determined Alberto Custodio, 32. had threatened the victim with the gun, then fired it, according to a Lompoc Police Department press release.

Emergency responders then transported the victim to Marian Regional Medical Center where he was treated and released.

Following the shooting, Custodio barricaded himself inside his home, prompting the police department to dispatch its Special Enforcement Team and Hostage Negotiation Team.

The negotiators attempted to communicate with Custodio, but failed to do so. Police then obtained an arrest warrant, as well as a search warrant.

For more than eight hours, Custodio remained barricaded in his home. Officers fired tear gas, bean bag rounds and flash bangs at Custodio and used a K9 to help arrest him. The dog reportedly bit Custodio, as well as two officers.

Custodio surrendered around midnight, but not before he kicked a policeman in the knee.

Police say one officer received treatment at the hospital and was released. It is not clear whether it was an officer who was bit by the K9 or the one whom Custodio kicked in the knee.

Officers booked Custodio into the Santa Barbara County Jail on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, battery on a police officer, and resisting arrest. He remains in jail in lieu of $30,000 bail

A day earlier, on Friday, police responded to three calls, in which drugs were suspected to be a factor, involving Custodio, according to the news release.