Armed man waiting for officer smokes meth in police lobby, California cops say

An armed man who asked to speak to an officer smoked methamphetamine while he waited in a Vallejo police station lobby, California cops said.

The man had a fixed-blade knife and firearm, which turned out to be a replica, tucked into his waistband during the May 3 incident, Vallejo police said in a news release.

“This was a harrowing moment because multiple people were waiting for service in our lobby and now they were face-to-face with an armed man,” police said.

An officer ordered the man to lie on the ground, police said. “No,” he replied, prompting the officer to tackle him, the release said.

Officers arrested the man and took him to jail, police said.

Vallejo is a city of roughly 125,000 people about 60 miles southwest of Sacramento.

This story was originally published May 8, 2023 at 8:44 AM with the headline "Armed man waiting for officer smokes meth in police lobby, California cops say."