A Hollister man was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon
after he held a steak knife to his father’s throat and then used
furniture to barricade himself in his home for almost an hour,
according to police.
Hollister – A Hollister man was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon after he held a steak knife to his father’s throat and then used furniture to barricade himself in his home for almost an hour, according to police.
Martin Hernandez, 40, was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon, threatening to kill his 74-year-old father and resisting arrest after he became upset with his family members because he thought they were making fun of him, said Hollister Police Capt. Bob Brooks.
Hollister police found Hernandez’s father and mother standing outside their home in the 1100 block of Central Avenue around 3:50pm on Thursday and learned Hernandez had barricaded himself in their home and was refusing to come out, Brooks said.
Hernandez’s father told police that he, his wife and other son were laughing about a new cell phone they had just got and Hernandez, who had been drinking, thought they were laughing at him, Brooks said.
Hernandez became upset and began yelling at his parents, Brooks said.
“At one point his mother threatened to call police,” Brooks said. “(Hernandez) grabbed his father, pushed him onto a living room couch and that’s when he held a knife to his throat.”
Brooks didn’t know how long Hernandez held a knife to his father’s throat, but there was a brief struggle between the two and Hernandez let him go, he said.
Officers from the Hollister Police Department and the San Benito County Sheriff’s Department were at the scene and attempted to talk Hernandez out of the house in both Spanish and English, Brooks said.
Hernandez’s brother also tried to talk him out, but with no success, he said.
At one point Hernandez ran out of the house but ran back inside and blocked all entry to the house by putting a washing machine, china cabinet, table and other furniture in front of the doors, according to a statement from police.
When police realized they weren’t going to talk Hernandez out, an officer went to a front window of the house where Hernandez was standing and pepper sprayed him through the screen, Brooks said.
Hernandez then ran to a back bedroom and police were able to climb through the window into the home, Brooks said.
In a last attempt to hold off police, Hernandez pushed a bed and other pieces of furniture against the door of a back bedroom, but officers were able to force the door open and get inside, according to the statement.
“He complied to the verbal orders and officers were able to take him under arrest,” Brooks said.
Hernandez was booked into the San Benito County Jail in lieu of $100,000 for threatening to kill his father and assault with a deadly weapon, felonies, exhibiting a deadly weapon, battery and resisting arrest, misdemeanors.
Erin Musgrave covers public safety for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or em*******@fr***********.com
