A 19-year-old Santa Barbara resident was arrested Saturday after allegedly raping a 20-year-old UCSB student.

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Dept. said Jose Ramirez entered an unlocked door of the victim’s house on the 6600 block of Abrego Road at 1:40 Saturday morning. The victim was attacked in her sleep and was able to wake up her roommate, who was also in the bedroom, Sheriff’s Dept Lt. Mike Burridge said.

“When the roommate woke up, it caused a distraction. The roommate started screaming and there was some confusion so the victim was able to run out of the bedroom,” he said.

Burridge said that, after running out, the roommate held the door shut to attempt to contain Ramirez. Several residents in the area responded to the roommate’s cries for help.

“Apparently, people were still awake and since the front door had been left open when the suspect entered, a lot of people ran up to the apartment,” Burridge said. “There was a lot of people there and in the confusion, the suspect ran out of the apartment when the roommate let go of the door.”

According to Burridge, a few of the residents started chasing Ramirez on foot to Estero Park, where deputies had been dispatched in response to the reported rape.

“[The residents] never really caught up to the suspect. They chased him into the park,” he said. “Deputies that had been dispatched to the area saw the chase and went to the park to search for the suspect.”

Ramirez was located hiding under brush in the park by a sheriff K-9 named “Marko.” Ramirez would not respond to the deputies’ commands, attempted to resist arrest and was bitten by “Marko” in his upper torso before surrendering, Burridge said.

Ramirez was arrested in the park and was positively identified by the victim, her roommate and other residents of the apartment. After receiving medical treatment for a minor wound from the dog bite, he was booked into Santa Barbara County Jail on charges of assault with intent to commit rape and burglary. After an investigation by detectives, a rape charge will also be filed with the district attorney’s office, according to Burridge.

-Ladan Moeenziai