Atwater police use Taser against man who allegedly brandished knife

Atwater police said a man who had brandished a knife was taken into custody by officers late Monday morning.

At 11:48 a.m. police received a report of a man kicking and vandalizing vehicles in a parking lot in the 1800 block of Bellevue Road, just east of Winton Way, according to a news release.

Officers contacted the man, who was holding a knife and pointing it toward officers.

Police said the officers used a less-lethal round as well as a Taser to gain the man’s compliance, after he ignored officer commands to drop the weapon.

The man was handcuffed and detained without further incident. Neither the suspect nor the officers were injured in the incident, according to police.

The man was later transported to a hospital on a mental health evaluation hold, according to the release.

Due to the medical nature of the incident, police did not release the man’s name. The incident is under investigation.

Anyone with information regarding the incident as well as anyone with video surveillance from the area is asked to contact the Atwater Police Department at 209-357-6384 or by email at police@atwater.org.