A possibly mentally ill man was placed on a 72-hour hold after he allegedly wielded a knife and yelled at people inside a Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen in Glendale Wednesday.
A pedestrian hailed a marked police motorcycle about 2 p.m. Wednesday to report that a man, who had been waving a knife and yelling at people, entered a Popeyes in the 2900 block of Colorado Boulevard, according to Sgt. Christian Hauptmann of the Glendale Police Department.
Officers found the man in the restaurant and saw he had a knife in his pants pocket. They asked him to leave the restaurant, but he refused, started yelling and walking around the restaurant, Hauptmann said.
He then allegedly “took a fighting stance and pulled out the knife” while yelling at officers, according to Hauptmann. Officers told him to drop the knife, but he continued yelling while holding it.
After several seconds, he put the knife down, and officers were able to detain him with handcuffs.
They believed he was acting in a way consistent with having a mental illness and was a danger to himself and others.
He was taken to a hospital, where he is on a 72-hour hold for mental evaluation and treatment, according to Hauptmann.
