Police: He threatened his girlfriend, then followed her to the police station

A man was arrested on Friday in Atwater after allegedly threatening his girlfriend and taking her car keys, the Atwater Police Department reported.

A woman told officers her boyfriend, Filiberto Estrada, started arguing with her and then went to his car and grabbed what she thought was a black semi-automatic handgun. She said Estrada threatened her and she "believed" he would use the weapon to hurt her, police said.

The handgun turned out to be a BB gun, police confirmed.

The woman drove to the Atwater Police Station and Estrada followed her, according to officials. When they were in the parking lot, police said, Estrada reached through her driver window, pushed her, grabbed the keys out of the ignition, and drove away.

Officers found Estrada as he was walking to his apartment. He was booked into the Merced County Jail and charged with criminal threats and misdemeanor domestic violence-related battery.

Monica Velez: 209-385-2486, @monicavelez21

This story was originally published January 14, 2018 at 4:04 PM with the headline "Police: He threatened his girlfriend, then followed her to the police station."