Santa Cruz police make 17 arrests Halloween night

The Santa Cruz Police Department made 17 arrests on Halloween night, including one arrest involving a highly intoxicated man with a loaded gun.

An estimated 6,000 people were downtown for the Halloween festivities Wednesday night.

SCPD kept busy responding to 352 calls for service.

Officers gave out 57 citations, 36 were for triple fine violations for things like open containers and public urination.

“For comparison, in 2017 there were 18 arrests and 42 citations. Overall, downtown Santa Cruz, arrests were down by one, and citations were up from 2017,” said SCPD.

Officers from Capitola, Watsonville, Scotts Valley, UCSC, Santa Cruz City Parks, California Highway Patrol, and Santa Cruz County Probation assisted with Halloween police presence.

One of the arrests involved 34-year-old Jimi Carrozzo a transient of Santa Cruz. Police said Carrozzo was too drunk to take care of himself. Officers found a loaded hand gun in his backpack.

Carrozzo was arrested for drunk and disorderly conduct, carrying a concealed weapon with an altered identification and an outstanding warrant.