Man Gets 11 Years in Prison for Role in 2025 State Street Stabbings

A 31-year-old man has been sentenced to 11 years in state prison for his role in a violent stabbing on State Street during Santa Barbara's annual Old Spanish Days Fiesta in August 2025 — a case that killed one man, injured two others, and took a series of dramatic legal turns before prosecutors ultimately concluded the fatal portion of the violence was self-defense.

Sergio Rivas was sentenced in August after pleading guilty to assault with a deadly weapon with force likely to cause great bodily injury and possession of a controlled substance while armed, according to Superior Court records cited in Noozhawk's reporting. He also admitted two enhancements: a second-strike allegation and one for causing great bodily injury. As of Friday, state prison custody records showed Rivas housed at Wasco State Prison, with parole eligibility in March 2033.

What Happened on State Street

The violence unfolded in the early morning hours of August 1, 2025, in the 500 block of State Street — the heart of downtown Santa Barbara, and ground zero for the city's Fiesta celebrations each summer. Police responded around 12:20 a.m. and found a man lying on the ground with a stab wound, along with two other stabbing victims.

The man who died was later identified by police as Anthony Michael Bisquera Hartley, 30. A second victim, identified in court documents as J. Ramos, survived his injuries. Rivas himself was also stabbed during the confrontation.

Rivas, then 30, was taken into custody in August 2025 and was found in possession of a loaded firearm at the time of his arrest, according to the Noozhawk report. Police initially arrested three people in connection with the incident: Rivas, Juan Fernando Rios, 28, and Luis Gerardo Terrazas, 29.

Murder Charges Dropped After Video Evidence Emerged

The case took a sharp turn from how it began. The Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office initially filed murder and gang-related charges, but later dropped them and amended the remaining allegations after video evidence showed Bisquera Hartley was armed with a knife when he attacked Rivas.

Authorities concluded that Rivas "acted in lawful self defense" when he stabbed Bisquera Hartley, and that Rios acted in lawful defense of Rivas in the same encounter. The allegations against Rios were discharged last year, according to Superior Court records.

What remained was the assault charge tied to the stabbing of Ramos, along with the drug-and-firearm allegation stemming from Rivas's August 2, 2025 arrest. Those are the convictions that produced Friday's confirmed 11-year sentence.

The outcome underscores how heavily downtown Fiesta incidents — often fueled by late-night crowds and alcohol — can depend on surveillance and bystander video, and how quickly initial charges can shift once that evidence is reviewed.

A Tragic Postscript in Bohnett Park

One thread of the case ended in further tragedy. Luis Gerardo Terrazas, one of the three originally arrested, was shot and killed at Bohnett Park on Santa Barbara's Westside in February, while his own criminal case was still pending. At the time of his death, Terrazas was facing charges of felony assault by means of force likely to cause great bodily injury and personally using a deadly weapon in connection with the stabbing of Rivas, and had been released from custody on $150,000 bail.

A memorial was established at the park in his memory, the Noozhawk reported.

The District Attorney's Office has since filed charges against three people in connection with Terrazas's death: Jimmy Alexander Mora Jr., 18, and Jorge Angel Hurtado, 19, both of Ventura County, and a juvenile whose name was not released. Because Mora and the unnamed juvenile were under 18 at the time of the killing, their cases are being handled in Santa Barbara Juvenile Court.

Hurtado has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to appear in court on October 28 for a preliminary hearing setting.

What It Means for Santa Barbara

The resolution closes, at least substantially, one chapter of a case that rattled downtown during the city's most high-profile annual event. Old Spanish Days draws tens of thousands of visitors to State Street each summer, and late-night violence during Fiesta has long been a concern for city leaders and the Police Department, which typically surges staffing for the celebration.

For residents, the sentencing brings a measure of finality to a case with an unusually complicated moral and legal arc: an initial murder prosecution, a self-defense reversal driven by video evidence, and a co-defendant who never had his day in court. The remaining open proceedings — the prosecutions connected to Terrazas's February shooting death — will continue through the fall, with Hurtado's next court appearance set for late October.

Rivas, meanwhile, will remain in state custody at Wasco, with his first parole eligibility date in March 2033.