Man arrested for allegedly throwing explosive
Fragments of a flash-bang are recovered from the scene at a Santa Barbara restaurant.
SANTA BARBARA — Santa Barbara police arrested a 55-year-old man after he allegedly threw an explosive object toward the kitchen of a restaurant Tuesday.
Police said Eric Carl Strand of Goleta threw a flash-bang, an explosive device used to create a loud and bright explosion, near the kitchen of a restaurant within the 100 block of Harbor Way.
Police said Mr. Strand returned to his table after throwing the device, and witnesses were able to identify him to responding officers.
Mr. Strand was taken into custody and booked at the Santa Barbara County Main Jail for maliciously and recklessly possessing a destructive or explosive device and exploding or igniting a destructive device. Both charges are felonies, and his bail was set at $500,000.
There is no known motive at this time.
Police and fire personnel responded to the scene. There are no known injuries at this time.
The case is still under investigation, police said.
— Kaitlyn Schallhorn
Wrong-way truck causes multiple accidents
A Freightliner truck allegedly traveling the wrong way on Highway 101 was involved in two separate collisions.
LOS ALAMOS — A driver traveling southbound in the northbound lane of Highway 101 caused multiple accidents and approximately 80 gallons of leaked diesel fuel Tuesday evening, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Police said a Freightliner truck was allegedly traveling in the wrong lane south of Los Alamos shortly before 8 p.m. Tuesday, causing multiple near-miss collisions and one accident involving two cars that were attempting to avoid hitting the truck south of Alisos Canyon. During this collision, a gas tank of one of the vehicles ruptured, spilling about 50 gallons of diesel fuel onto the shoulder.
A few miles later, just south of State Route 154, the Freightliner truck struck a 2015 Toyota vehicle head-on, according to CHP.
The driver of the Toyota needed to be extricated by responding fire personnel and was airlifted to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital with major injuries, CHP said.
The driver and the passenger of the wrong-way truck were transported to Marian Regional Medical Center in Santa Maria with moderate injuries, according to the collision report.
Christopher Moreno of Clovis, the truck’s driver, was placed into custody for suspicion of driving under the influence. Police said alcohol and/or drugs may have been a factor in Tuesday’s incident.
According to the collision report, the Freightliner truck became disabled after the crash, blocking part of the northbound lane. This accident resulted in about 30 gallons of diesel fuel leaked into the median.
The California Department of Transportation cleaned the spilled fuel Wednesday morning, according to CHP.
— Kaitlyn Schallhorn
