Information provided by Hollister Police Department
The Hollister Police Department arrested a man after a standoff in which the individual had made calls about wanting to hurt himself and displayed a handgun.
On Sept.9, about 6:38 a.m. the sister of the man called Hollister Dispatch to report her brother had made statements of contemplating suicide. He requested she alert the news media because he was going to do something and that he was at “peace.”
According to police, officer Aguilera and Castro arrived at the front door area of the closed Kmart store, located on Tres Pinos Road, within a few minutes of the call and made contact with the 44 year-old-man. Officers made contact with the man and he immediately brandished a handgun. Officers requested additional units and advised responding officers the subject was now pointing the gun at his own head and at one time placed the muzzle into his mouth.
Additional officers and detectives from the Hollister Police Department and the San Benito County Sheriff’s Office arrived on scene and set up a containment perimeter around the man for the protection of the community. Officers were concerned with the man walking toward other people or possibly charging at officers to provoke a shooting.
Officers attempted contact with the man through the police vehicle’s loud speaker system. The man was despondent and seemed to be rambling. An officer obtained the man’s cell phone number and tried calling him. However, he refused to answer the phone.
The man then discharged his gun several times. This allowed the police to determine that the weapon was a realistic looking CO2 Pellet gun and not a real firearm. The man then armed himself with a large survival type knife. He continued to pace back and forth.
During this time Officer Aguilera contacted the reporting party and other members of the man’s family to aid the police in resolving the situation peacefully. Officers were able to contact a family member to speak to the man through a cell phone to try and get him to put the knife down. The man did not put the knife down but he was now talking.
The S.A.F.E. team consisting of Officer Esqueda and Mental Health Case Management Services Manager Nancy Abellera responded to the scene. Officer Esqueda spoke with the man for a few minutes and he agreed to put the weapons down. At 9:03 a.m., the man was taken into custody without further incident and transported to the hospital for a mental health evaluation. Charges of brandishing weapons, delaying and resisting officers will be referred to the D.A.’s Office.
The Hollister Police Department would like to thank everyone who assisted in the peaceful conclusion of this incident. We thank the Sheriff’s Office for their quick response and we especially want to thank our S.A.F.E. Team Officer Esqueda and Nancy Abellera for their great work.
