COALINGA, Calif. (FOX26) — Joel Ulyses Maya Berber, a Coalinga resident, was arrested Monday morning after an attempted break-in and a violent confrontation with local police officers. Authorities responded to a call at 8 a.m. regarding a man armed with a knife who had allegedly tried to break into a home on Hoover St.
Upon arriving at the scene, officers discovered Maya standing near the intersection of Hoover St. and Pine St., holding a shovel. Despite repeated commands in both English and Spanish to drop the shovel and sit on the curb, Maya refused to cooperate and began speaking incoherently about unrelated matters.
Maya eventually put the shovel down but continued to defy officers, assuming a fighting stance as they attempted to arrest him. To subdue Maya, police deployed tasers. While initially resisting, Maya managed to remove one taser probe from an officer before eventually falling to the ground after being hit by another officer’s taser.
Once on the ground, Maya remained combative, kicking officers and resisting arrest. The taser was deployed once again, allowing police to gain control and take him into custody. A subsequent search revealed Maya had a fixed-blade knife hidden in his pocket.
Maya was transported to Fresno County Jail after being booked at Coalinga City Jail. He now faces multiple charges, including Threatening an Executive Officer, Possession of a Dirk or Dagger, Resisting Arrest, and Battery on a Peace Officer.
