Photo: Butler’s Knife
EMERYVILLE — The normally relaxed atmosphere at a pizza parlor turned ugly last Sunday night. Police arrested an unwelcome visitor carrying a knife who threatened employees as they worked that shift.
As the weekend was winding down, police received a 911 call for help from Lanesplitter Pizza, located at 3645 San Pablo Avenue. A nervous employee told a police dispatcher that a man was waving a knife in a threatening manner.
A commotion erupted when employees confronted the man carrying the knife. Nevertheless, the workers were able to disarm him, and push him outside the front door.
The employees locked the door and the man took off in a northerly direction along San Pablo Avenue running towards Oakland. Fortunately, the suspect did not injure any staff or patrons during the otherwise harrowing incident.
The man didn’t get far before police arrived on the scene at approximately 7 p.m. on July 29. Officers nabbed him about one block away.
Police arrested a homeless man, 59-year-old Daryl Butler, as the suspect carrying the knife during the earlier incident at the pizza pub.
At least one witness positively identified the suspect as the same man who threatened to kill an employee. He’s the same suspect accused of making stabbing motions towards the victim.
Police arrested Butler on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, making threats with intent to terrorize, disrupting a business, resisting an officer, and violating probation. They also recovered a knife as evidence.
