Drive-by paintball assault in Isla Vista leads to arrest of four Ventura County men
Four men from Ventura County were arrested after allegedly firing a paintball gun at pedestrians in Isla Vista early Saturday, injuring one, authorities said.
Reports came in shortly after midnight of people in a moving vehicle shooting at pedestrians with a paintball gun, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office reported. Incidents were reported on two roads within blocks of each other.
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Deputies with the sheriff’s Isla Vista foot patrol made contact with a victim, who had suffered injuries to his chest, arm and leg after being shot with the paintball gun, authorities said.
The unincorporated community adjacent to UC Santa Barbara is densely populated with college students and permanent residents. Sidewalks and roads connecting dormitories, apartments and eateries are often crowded with pedestrians and bicyclists, even at night. Isla Vista was the site of a killing spree in 2014 during which six people were killed, three by gunfire, and 14 injured by 22-year-old Elliot Rodger. Part of that incident involved Rodger driving through Isla Vista shooting at people before he killed himself as authorities closed in. One of Rodger's victims, 19-year-old Veronika Weiss, was a graduate of Westlake High School from Thousand Oaks.
On Saturday, law enforcement officers searched the area for a vehicle that witnesses had described as a small, black compact car. They reportedly found the car at the corner of Picasso Road and Camino Pescadero. Officers said they saw a paintball gun “in plain view” at the feet of one of the rear passengers. They also allegedly found a bag of paintballs in the car and a paintball in one of the passengers’ pockets.
The four men inside — two from Oxnard, two from Ventura — were all arrested on suspicion of felony assault and conspiracy offenses, according to authorities. Each remained in Santa Barbara County jail Saturday morning with bail set at $30,000.
The suspects were identified as Jelani Bell, 20, of Oxnard; Elliot Couillard, 19, of Ventura; Alonzo Gude, 21, of Ventura; and Marques Russell, 21, of Oxnard.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call 805-681-4179.