Calif. Man Faces Knife Charge After Car Hits Home

Arlington MA

16 July, 2021

11:45 AM

Description

Your Arlington Last Updated: 13 July 2021 Written by Leah Comins Arlington police arrested a 53-year-old California man Tuesday, July 13, who crashed a car into a front yard of a house and allegedly brandished a knife. Chief Julie Flaherty reports that Rodolfo Garces of Fresno was charged with negligent operation of a motor vehicle, leaving the scene of a crash after causing property damage and assault with a dangerous weapon. About 1:35 p.m., Arlington Police responded to a home on Lublin Street, near Route 2 and Appleton Street, after a report of a car that had crashed into the front yard of the house. A preliminary on-scene investigation indicated that the driver of the vehicle, believed to be Garces, crashed a 2016 Nissan Versa and allegedly brandished a 3-inch folding knife when one of the residents of the home approached the vehicle following the crash. He then allegedly fled the scene of the crash. Responding officers set up a perimeter and searched the area for Garces. Officers located Garces within minutes of the crash about 50 yards from the home in bushes on another property. He was taken into custody without incident or injury. Through the subsequent investigation, including interviewing numerous witnesses, officers determined that Garces was seen operating the vehicle before the initial call and that he was the only occupant of the vehicle. The Belmont and Lexington Police Departments assisted in the search, as did the State Police and Medford Police K-9 units. No other suspects were located. Two adults and two children were in the house at the time of the crash and did not report any injuries. The home sustained no damage as a result of the crash. Garces is expected to be arraigned in Cambridge District Court in Medford on Wednesday, July 14. YourArlington.com has provided news and opinion about Arlington, Mass., since 2006. Publisher Bob Sprague is a former editor at The Boston Globe, Boston Herald and Arlington Advocate. Read more at https://www.yourarlington.com/about.