Man arrested in Avila Beach after threatening stranger with knife, sheriff says

An Oceano man was arrested Tuesday after threatening a beachgoer with a knife, according to the San Luis Obispo Sheriff’s Office.

“At around 2:20 p.m., a man later identified as Russell Pennington Meeks, 35, approached the victim on the beach at Pirate’s Cove” near Avila Beach, Sheriff’s Office public information officer Tony Cipolla wrote in an email.

Meeks threatened the man and brandished a knife, Cipolla said, so the victim struck Meeks, who ran off.

The victim did know who Meeks was and was not injured, Cipolla said.

Sheriff’s Office deputies conducted a search of the area along with officers from the Pismo Beach Police Department and Port San Luis Harbor Patrol, Cipolla said.

Deputies later found Meeks on the beach and arrested him on suspicion of making criminal threats, brandishing a weapon and battery, according to Cipolla.

Meeks was being held Tuesday evening at San Luis Obispo County Jail in lieu of $50,000.

Cave Landing Road, which leads to Pirate’s Cove, and the Pirate’s Cove parking lot closed after reports of a recent large gathering violating the county’s shelter-at-home order. The decision was made in coordination with the Port San Luis Harbor District