‘Put the knife down!’ Man arrested in Paso Robles park after fight
.jpg "Siren")
A fight in a Paso Robles park ended Sunday afternoon after a police officer drew his gun on a knife-wielding man, according to the Paso Robles Police Department.
Paso Robles police officers were dispatched to Downtown City Park at 3:07 p.m. Sunday, Paso Robles Police Commander Caleb Davis said, arriving within 90 seconds.
When the first officer arrived on the scene, he allegedly saw the suspect, later identified as 24-year-old Omar Larquintero of Paso Robles, chasing another man with a knife.
The confrontation was also witnessed by a family on a scavenger hunt, according to a post by Facebook user Abigail Miller.
“Decided to take my kids on a scavenger hunt downtown Paso Robles today. Super fun!” Abigail Miller posted in the SLO County News Facebook group. “What ended it shortly was hearing two men fighting in the Downtown City Park of Paso.”
One of the men was wielding a large knife, which Miller described as a machete. The knife was actually a box cutter-style knife, Davis said.
“As we are speedily walking towards our vehicles we hear police sirens and all of a sudden an officer yell(ed), “PUT THE KNIFE DOWN!!!!!” And I see the officer, gun pointed at the man with the weapon,” Miller wrote in the Facebook post.
“The officer drew his service firearm and ordered the suspect stop,” Davis said. “The officer held the suspect in that position until other PRPD units could arrive to assist in taking the suspect into custody.”
Larquintero was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and booked into San Luis Obispo County Jail around 6 p.m. Sunday, according to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office booking log.
He was being held at the jail Monday morning in lieu of $25,000, according to jail records.
This story was originally published June 6, 2022 at 11:49 AM.
