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Watsonville
January 3, 2025

Man arrested for reportedly brandishing weapon, resisting arrest

WATSONVILLE—A man was arrested Wednesday morning after he reportedly tried to break into a vehicle and then led Watsonville police on a high-speed chase down Green Valley Road.

Watsonville Police Department Sgt. Mike Ridgway said the incident began when the suspect started banging on the window of an occupied car around 10am at the Arco station on Green Valley Road at Holohan Road. The victim told police the suspect was armed with a gun.

As police arrived, the suspect sped off in a 2016 VW Jetta. Ridgway said the man drove at high speeds west on Green Valley Road and then north on Freedom Boulevard with police in pursuit. 

The man then pulled into the Crystal Laundromat and bolted for the door of the business, but before he could swing the door open, the manager locked it. 

The suspect reportedly yelled at the manager that he would kill her if she didn’t open the door before he leapt into the bed of a parked Chevy pickup and refused to obey police orders, Ridgway said.

He eventually surrendered to police before they were about to use a Taser on him. 

Ridgway said the man was charged with brandishing a weapon, making threats and resisting arrest.

Tarmo Hannula
Tarmo Hannula
Tarmo Hannula has been the lead photographer with The Pajaronian newspaper in Watsonville since 1997. More recently Good Times & Press Banner. He also reports on a wide range of topics, including police, fire, environment, schools, the arts and events. A fifth generation Californian, Tarmo was born in the Mother Lode of the Sierra (Columbia) and has lived in Santa Cruz County since the late 1970s. He earned a BA from UC Santa Cruz and has traveled to 33 countries.

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