San Mateo police arrested a man on Sunday on suspicion of pepper spraying and threatening a man with a knife, according to a department press release.
The suspect is a 34-year-old San Jose resident. He was arrested on suspicion of making criminal threats, brandishing a weapon, and committing vandalism and battery. He is being held in Maguire Correctional Facility. His next court date is scheduled for Jan. 17.
San Mateo police received a call on Thursday at 3:56 p.m. from a man who said he was pepper sprayed and threatened with a knife on the 100 block of South Ellsworth Avenue. Officers saw that the man had been pepper sprayed. The man told officers that he was sitting in his car when a Tesla pulled up beside him.
The victim said he did not know the suspect, police said. The driver of the Tesla made “shooting” gestures with his hands toward the victim. The suspect then parked his car in front of the victim’s car, got out, walked toward the victim while displaying a folding knife and threatened to stab the victim.
The suspect then walked to the passenger side of the victim’s vehicle and kicked in the rear panel. The damage to the car cost $2,000. The suspect then pepper sprayed the victim through the open front passenger side window while the victim tried to call the police and drive away. Police said the motive for the crime is unknown because the victim and the suspect didn’t know each other.
The victim took a video of part of the incident and a witness came forward with a photo and license plate of both the suspect and the suspect vehicle. Police found the identity of the suspect and that the suspect’s car was a rental car that was scheduled to be returned on Friday. Police planned to arrest the suspect when he returned the car, but the car was not returned.
Between 11:49 p.m. on Saturday and just after midnight on Sunday, automatic license plate readers in San Mateo identified the suspect’s Tesla. A police sergeant located the car traveling northbound on U.S. Highway 101. Police pulled over the driver around San Bruno Avenue in San Bruno. When police searched the suspect, they found two bottles of OC spray and a folding knife. The suspect was arrested after his identity was confirmed.
