San Luis Obispo homeless man Samuel Stokes, 30, is in police custody after brandishing a knife at Laguna Lake Park on Labor Day.
The incident occurred around 3 p.m. on Monday, according to the San Luis Obispo Police Department.
The department received multiple reports of a man waving a large knife in the air in the parking lot of a restaurant along Madonna Road.
When police arrived on the scene, Stokes ran across Madonna Road into Laguna Lake Park.
Police officials say the park was full of families and children enjoying Labor Day.
Officers set up a perimeter around Stokes as he continued "to aggressively wave the knife and threaten officers and people at the park."
Eventually, police officers were able to convince Stokes to drop his knife, but after attempting to arrest him, Stokes began trying to fight them.
Despite his efforts, Stokes was taken into custody—both he and the arresting officers were left uninjured.
Stokes was transported to San Luis Obispo County Jail where he was booked for brandishing a deadly weapon and possessing drug paraphernalia, among other charges.
The San Luis Obispo Police Department described Stokes as a "transient of San Luis Obispo."
This incident is still under investigation.
If you have any additional information, please contact the Watch Commander at (805) 781-7312.
