Man Arrested After Threatening Victim With Sledgehammer

A homeless man was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon Tuesday after he threatened a man with a sledgehammer, Pasadena police said.

The incident occurred at about 4:37 p.m. in the 700 block of South Arroyo Parkway, according to Lt. Derek Locklin.

Locklin said officers responded to a report of a fight and spoke to a victim, who said the suspect, identified as Michael Butler, 45, was armed with a sledgehammer and was threatening to harm him.

The victim was able to take control of the sledgehammer and subsequently talked Butler into calming down, Locklin said.

Store patrons who were in the store assisted the victim until officers arrived and arrested Butler.

No injuries were reported.

Anyone with information about this case is encouraged to call the Pasadena Police at (626) 744-4241 or report information anonymously by contacting “Crime Stoppers” at (800) 222-TIPS (8477), via your smartphone by downloading the “P3 Tips” Mobile App on Google Play or the Apple App Store, or by using the website http://lacrimestoppers.org.