Police arrested a man in Hollister who brandished a firearm while challenging two men to fight outside a local business, authorities said.
Hollister Police officers responded to a report of an altercation on June 19. The investigation found that the tension began after the suspect’s stepdaughter became involved in a verbal dispute with two men inside a business, Hollister Police said in a press release.
She contacted her stepfather to complain she was being harassed, and asked him to come to the location, which police did not specify. When the man arrived, he allegedly confronted the two men, brandished a firearm and challenged them to fight.
Fearing for their safety, the victims contacted Hollister Police. The man and his stepdaughter left the scene before officers arrived.
Police said the victims provided detailed descriptions of the suspect and his vehicle, as well as video footage of the incident. Officers used the city’s FLOCK Safety camera system and learned the vehicle had left Hollister shortly after the incident.
Information captured from the traffic camera system allowed investigators to determine the identity of the vehicle’s registered owner, police said.
On June 25, officers located the suspect’s vehicle and conducted a traffic stop to serve a search warrant for the firearm used during the incident, says the press release. The driver was identified as Reginald Mendoza Vergara, 45. The driver matched the suspect captured in the victims’ video footage of the June 19 incident.
Mendoza Vergara was arrested, and police recovered and seized the firearm he used in the incident, authorities said. He was booked at San Benito County Jail on suspicion of brandishing a firearm and making criminal threats.
“This incident serves as an important reminder that arguments and disagreements, even those that begin as relatively minor disputes, can quickly escalate into dangerous and potentially tragic situations when a firearm is introduced unlawfully,” says the press release. “No disagreement is worth risking serious injury or loss of life.
“The Hollister Police Department encourages community members to resolve conflicts peacefully and reminds firearm owners of the significant legal and personal consequences associated with using a firearm to intimidate or threaten others.”
