San Luis Obispo man arrested after attacking homeless Santa Maria man | Crimes and Courts

David Garcia Ochoa, 28, of San Luis Obispo was arrested by Santa Maria police on Monday in connection with an attempted murder that occurred in the early hours of Sunday, according to the police department.

Police responded around 7:30 a.m. Sunday to reports of a person who had fallen in a commercial parking lot in the 1700 block of S. Broadway in Santa Maria. Upon arrival, officers discovered a 28-year-old man, believed to be passing through, who had been shot multiple times as he walked through the parking lot around 3 a.m. The victim was taken to a local hospital where he is being treated, police said.

Santa Maria detectives took over the investigation and identified Ochoa as the prime suspect. Ochoa, who was an unarmed private security guard responsible for the security of construction equipment and materials near the crime scene, was illegally carrying a loaded firearm on the construction site prior to the shooting, according to police. Ochoa reportedly never informed police of the shooting and left the scene immediately afterward.

After obtaining an attempted murder warrant and a search warrant for Ochoa’s residence, SMPD officers, with assistance from the SMPD SWAT team and the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Special Investigations Bureau, executed the warrants at Ochoa’s residence in the 200 block of Avila Beach Drive in San Luis Obispo around 2 a.m. Monday.

Ochoa was taken into custody without incident and evidence related to the investigation was reportedly seized from his residence.

Ochoa was booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail on attempted murder charges and is being held on $1 million bail. Investigators believe Ochoa may be connected to other crimes involving the discharge of a firearm and are working to further investigate.

Anyone with information related to the investigation or other crimes possibly involving Ochoa and the discharge of a firearm is asked to contact Detective Erik Hesch at (805) 928-3781, extension 1349, or Detective Neil Patel at extension 1680.