WATSONVILLE — A Watsonville man who swung a knife at a police officer was arrested after climbing on top of a vehicle and refusing orders to come down.
Daniel Reyna, 45, was charged with resisting arrest, assault with a deadly weapon on an officer and for brandishing a weapon at an officer while resisting arrest. He was booked into Santa Cruz County Jail in lieu of $25,000 bail, jail records showed.
Dozens of police officers and Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the incident on Dec. 18 in the parking lot of the AAA office at 1195 S. Green Valley Rd. just before noon.
Officers cordoned off a large swath of the parking lot and shut down South Green Valley Road between Main Street and Harkins Slough Road as a crisis negotiator tried to convince Reyna to come off of the car.
According to WPD Sgt. Mike Ridgway, an officer saw Reyna, who was wanted on a warrant for felony domestic violence case out of Salinas, in front of the AAA building, and tried to make contact with him.
A witness said Reyna pulled a knife on the officer and then ran at him, and at a K9 officer, before running across the parking lot and climbing on top of the Ford SUV where he engaged in a standoff for about 40 minutes.
Police eventually talked Reyna down and he was arrested without further incident.
