A 24-year-old man wielding a knife in front of a Lathrop coffee shop on Harlan Road prompted  the evacuation of the entire center anchored by SaveMart  shortly after the noon hour on Tuesday.

He kept police at bay for more than three hours before being taken into custody.   

The Lathrop Police Services cordoned off the center bringing business to a halt while a Sheriff’s negotiating team was brought to the scene along with police canines that were on standby at the Save Mart Shopping Center at 15000 Harlan Road.

Citizens had called police when Samuel Castillo Jr.  was allegedly seen putting the knives up his sleeves in front of Starbucks.  After a standoff of some three hours, officers forced the man into submission by dropping him to the ground with the use of beanbag rifles.  He was taken into custody by officers and put into a waiting ambulance for injuries from the beanbags and for an expected 72 hour mental evaluation.

Sheriff’s spokesman said the individual was charged with assault with a deadly weapon because of allegedly advancing on officers and for resisting arrest.