The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department says deputies were facing a near-riot situation in Isla Vista this weekend. More than 1000 people were in the street at one point on Saturday night, according to the department.
Deputies say the crowd began to grow around a crime scene where a visitor to Isla Vista was stabbed. That victim, a 20-year-old from Rhode Island, was last listed in critical but stable condition at a nearby hospital. A Lompoc resident, 18-year-old Kuriyan Summers-Dickinson, is charged with attempted murder.
Deputies say they were forced to shut down the street, using pepper spray and batons to disperse the crowd.
The sheriff's department says it works closely with UCSB police, and have a 60 deputy mobile field force specifically trained on how to handle riots.