Woman in custody after reports of brandishing knife on Santa Cruz bridge
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KION) A homeless woman was arrested Tuesday, following three hours of police negotiations. According to Santa Cruz Police, the woman brandished a large kitchen knife towards several people.
Police received three separate calls, including one from Toni Corrigan and her husband.
“When we approached the Water Street, bridge a woman came running down from her tent and was screaming and brandished a knife,” Corrigan said.
The woman didn’t follow the couple off the bridge, but minutes later police arrived in full force. At that point the homeless woman, who bystanders say has been living in the tent on the bridge for several months, barricaded herself back in the tent.
“At that point, we had a woman who was a danger to herself and obviously she was a danger to others, but we had a mental health hold that could be placed on her. However, we didn’t have a formal complaint we could have her,” Deputy Chief Rick Martinez said.
Later, one of the callers decided to press charges, so police could enter the tent. They took the woman into custody and nobody was injured. Police said they found the foot long kitchen knife.
The Water Street Bridge was closed during the nearly three hour long incident, but has reopened.
The homeless woman will be charged with brandishing a weapon and resisting a police officer.
UPDATE 11/12/2019 2:30 p.m. Police have taken a woman into custody after they received three separate calls about a woman with a knife.
Santa Cruz police said it started as a mental health call because those who reported her did not press charges. Because it was a mental health call, they could not enter the tent.
Later, one of the callers decided to press charges, so police could enter the tent. They said they took the woman into custody and nobody was injured. Police said they found a large kitchen knife.
The Water Street Bridge was closed during the 2.5 hour long incident, but has reopened.
PREVIOUS STORY: Santa Cruz police have been trying to get a woman out of a tent on Water Street Bridge after a couple said she brandished a knife at them.
The couple said they were walking on the bridge when it happened. Witnesses tell KION that police have been trying to get the woman out since 12 p.m.
We are still waiting for police to give details, but the Santa Cruz Fire Department is now at the scene and the bridge is shut down.
The couple tells KION they do not want to press charges.
