Bohnett Park Shooting Suspect Pleads Not Guilty

A teenager accused of gunning down a 29-year-old Santa Barbara man in an alleged gang-related attack has pleaded not guilty — the latest legal milestone in a case that has drawn attention to a cycle of street violence on the city's Westside and raised urgent questions about public safety near one of the neighborhood's only parks.

A Not-Guilty Plea and a Web of Charges

Noozhawk reported that Jorge Angel Hurtado, 19, of Ventura pleaded not guilty last week to murder and attempted murder charges stemming from the February killing of Luis Gerardo Terrazas at Bohnett Park on San Pascual Street. Hurtado also denied several enhancements at his arraignment, including allegations of using a firearm in a specified felony, being a principal in the commission of an offense, committing a serious felony for the benefit of a street gang, and violent felony murder. He remains held at the Santa Barbara Main Jail on $3.1 million bail, according to Noozhawk, and is next due in court for a preliminary hearing setting.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Kevin Weichbrod stated that Hurtado and his co-defendants are "alleged to have shot and killed Luis Terrazas in a gang-related murder," as reported by Noozhawk.

A Multi-County Investigation Leads to Arrests

The arrest of Hurtado and two co-defendants in early June capped a months-long inquiry that crossed county lines. KEYT reported that on June 4, Santa Barbara Police — working alongside Ventura Police, the Ventura County Sheriff's Department, and the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office — executed search and arrest warrants in the cities of Ventura, Camarillo, and Santa Barbara. Along with Hurtado, 18-year-old Jimmy Alexander Mora Jr. of Ventura was arrested and booked on charges including first-degree murder, attempted murder, conspiracy, and multiple weapons-related offenses. A third suspect, an unnamed juvenile, was also taken into custody in Santa Barbara.

According to the Santa Barbara Independent, the juvenile was charged with assault with a deadly weapon for the benefit of a criminal street gang. Because both the juvenile and Mora Jr. were under 18 years old at the time of the February shooting, they are being tried in juvenile court, according to the District Attorney's Office, as Noozhawk reported. However, KEYT noted that Senior Deputy DA Weichbrod said his office intends to apply to move any qualifying juvenile defendant's case to adult court if conditions are met.

The Santa Barbara Police Department described the operation as highlighting "the strong partnerships and collaborative efforts among local law enforcement agencies" in the pursuit of justice.

The Night Terrazas Was Killed

The fatal shooting unfolded in the early morning hours of February 20, 2026. Emergency crews responded to Bohnett Park at approximately 1:31 a.m. after receiving reports of a shooting. Officers found Terrazas with a gunshot wound and a second person at the scene who was uninjured. Terrazas was transported to Cottage Hospital, where he later died from his injuries, according to the Santa Barbara Police Department.

A memorial of flowers, candles, and balloons was placed on San Pascual Street near the park in the days that followed, the Santa Barbara Independent reported. A GoFundMe campaign was launched to support Terrazas's family, who described him as someone with "a big heart and a presence that made people feel safe, supported, and valued."

A Case Rooted in Prior Violence

The Bohnett Park killing did not emerge in a vacuum. Investigators believe it was tied to a separate act of violence that had rocked Santa Barbara's downtown nearly six months earlier. Crime Voice reported that the shooting of Terrazas is suspected to have been motivated by the August 1, 2025, stabbing death of 30-year-old Anthony Michael Bisquera Hartley on State Street in downtown Santa Barbara.

Bisquera Hartley was fatally stabbed on the 500 block of State Street during Old Spanish Days Fiesta celebrations, as the Santa Barbara Independent reported. At the time of Terrazas's death, he had been out on bail and facing felony assault charges connected to that stabbing, Noozhawk reported. Investigators said Bisquera Hartley was armed with a knife at the time of the altercation. New video evidence that emerged after the initial charges led the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office to conclude that the men charged with Bisquera Hartley's stabbing had acted in self-defense, and murder charges in that case were dropped, per the Santa Barbara Independent.

A Neighborhood Park Under Strain — and What Comes Next

For Westside residents, the legal proceedings come against the backdrop of continuing concern about Bohnett Park and its surrounding blocks. Edhat noted that Bohnett Park is located in the middle of Santa Barbara's Westside neighborhood, surrounded by residential homes, apartments, and local businesses, and that it is the only park in the neighborhood with a playground available to children.

Just days before Hurtado's not-guilty plea — and barely two weeks after the arrests in the Terrazas case — another shooting struck the same stretch of San Pascual Street. On June 17 at approximately 4:20 p.m., officers responded to the 1200 block of San Pascual Street near Bohnett Park after reports of gunfire. About 15 minutes later, Cottage Hospital contacted police to report that an adult male had arrived with a gunshot wound. A patrol officer spotted a vehicle possibly connected to the shooting entering Highway 101 near West Carrillo Street and conducted a traffic stop at the Castillo Street off-ramp, detaining several individuals without incident. The investigation into that June 17 shooting remains active, according to the Santa Barbara Independent, and police have declined to release information about possible suspects or a motive.

For Hurtado, the road through Santa Barbara County Superior Court is just beginning. His preliminary hearing setting is scheduled for Monday. Anyone with information on the ongoing Terrazas case is asked to contact the Santa Barbara Police Department at (805) 897-2372. Those with information about the June 17 shooting near Bohnett Park can reach Detective McBeth at 805-897-2343 or [email protected].