Police arrested a transient man who frightened a teenager with a knife in search of his sister in Morgan Hill.
Morgan Hill police received a call about 8:52 p.m. Wednesday of a man banging on the door of a residence at the Village Avante apartment complex at the corner of Cosmo and Del Monte avenues, according to Sgt. Troy Hoefling.
The man did not know the residents of the apartment and refused to leave, Hoefling said. One of the residents, a 15-year-old male, went outside to speak with the man who was later identified as Vidal Hernandez, 26, a transient from the Santa Cruz area.
Hernandez reached into his pocket and pulled out a knife, police said. He chased the 15-year-old who was able to safely outrun the suspect.
Morgan Hill police arrived and contacted Hernandez, who remained standing on the sidewalk, police said. He refused to obey multiple commands from officers to get away from the apartment whose door he had been knocking on.
The suspect then turned and began to walk away from an officer, who again told him to stop, Hoefling said. Hernandez then quickly turned around and faced the officer. A jacket that had been draped over his arm fell to the ground, revealing the knife he was still holding.
Hernandez again refused officers’ commands to drop the knife, Hoefling said. The suspect then lunged toward the officer, who fired his Taser at the suspect. Hernandez was incapacitated by the Taser, and was handcuffed and taken into custody.
Police later learned that Hernandez was in Morgan Hill looking for his sister, who lived at another apartment complex near where the incident happened, police said.
The suspect was arrested and booked into Santa Clara County jail on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, assault with a deadly weapon on an officer, delaying an officer and using a weapon to delay an officer, Hoefling said.
“MHPD would like to remind you to call 911 if you are faced with a similar situation,” Hoefling said. “Do not open a door to persons unknown to you. If they refuse to leave, call the police.”
