College Football Recruit Brandon Smith Charged with Attempted Murder After Fight at Pool’ A promising college football player who was planning to play for Oregon State is now in jail and facing an attempted murder charge after allegedly severely injuring another man in a fight, authorities said.
College Football Recruit Brandon Smith Charged with Attempted Murder After Fight at Pool
Brandon Smith, 21, of Santa Barbara, was one of four people arrested on June 7 and charged with attempted murder, robbery and conspiracy — all felonies — according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office and online court records.
The charges stem from June 2, at about 3:37 p.m., when deputies responded to a report of a fight near a community pool at a condo complex on Gate Way, the sheriff’s office said in a release. Deputies who arrived found a 20-year-old man suffering from serious injuries but no suspects after they fled the area.
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The man was rushed to a local hospital where he was treated for his injuries. He is expected to survive, the sheriff’s office said in the release.
On June 7, detectives arrested Smith and the other three suspects, 20-year-old Jordan Alexander Lopez of Santa Barbara; 21-year-old Michael Christian Lee from Goleta and 19-year-old Jude Issam Hallal from Santa Barbara, the sheriff’s office said.
Smith, Lopez and Hallal pleaded not guilty on June 8. Lee has not yet entered a plea, according to online court records. All four are being held on a $2 million bond.
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It is unclear whether he or the other suspects have retained an attorney who can speak on his behalf.
“This investigation remains ongoing,” the sheriff’s office said in the release. “Detectives do not believe this was a random attack, the suspects and victim are known to each other.”
Smith is a junior running back at Santa Barbara City College who had announced that he was going to commit to Oregon State, ESPN was first to report.
Just hours before the alleged fight, he announced on social media that he was committing to Oregon State, ESPN reported.
After an official visit to Oregon State in May, he announced on May 25 that he had received a scholarship offer, according to the outlet. He had also received interest from Fresno State, Nevada and other programs.
Smith never signed with Oregon State and will not be joining the team, the university told ESPN.
The Sheriff’s Office is encouraging anyone with information about this case to contact Sheriff’s detectives at (805)681-4150. If you prefer to remain anonymous, you can provide information by calling our tip line at (805)681-4171 or online at SBSheriff.org.
