A 24-year-old knife-wielding man in front of a Lathrop coffee shop on Harlan Road south of Lathrop forced the evacuation of the entire SaveMart center shortly after the noon hour on Tuesday kept police at bay for more than three hours before being taken into custody.  

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

Citizens had called police when Samuel Castillo Jr.  was allegedly seen putting the knives up his sleeves in front of the Starbucks’ facility.  After a standoff of some three hours, officers forced the man into submission with the use of beanbag rifles dropping him to the ground.  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.