Victor Manuel Ayala Sanchez arrested after hours-long SWAT standoff in Santa Maria

on August 13, 2025

Santa Maria, Calif. – Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Deputies have taken a wanted suspect into custody following a 4-hour standoff. At approximately 11:32 a.m., Sheriff’s deputies tracked 30-year-old Victor Manuel Ayala Sanchez to a residence in the 1100-block of East Sunset Avenue. Deputies learned that there were several additional occupants in the residence including a child. As additional resources arrived, including a K9 team, Special Enforcement Team and Crisis Negotiation Team, deputies safely evacuated the additional occupants.

In the hours that followed, deputies placed several phone calls to the suspect as well as giving him verbal commands to safely surrender. Deputies eventually entered the residence and found the suspect hiding in an attic area where he was eventually taken into custody without further incident at approximately 3:08 p.m.

Victor Manuel Ayala Sanchez will be booked at the Northern Branch Jail for his outstanding warrants for felony charges including brandishing a firearm, robbery, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, gang enhancement, evading police, criminal threats, assault with a deadly weapon, and carjacking as well as additional misdemeanor charges. He will be held without bail.

Victor Manuel Ayala Sanchez was arrested for the following:

11377(A) - Possession of Controlled Substance

148(A)(1) - Resist / Obstruct / Delay Peace Officer

WARRANT - Warrants Or Holds Only