Riverside Police Department Press Release

No Charges Filed in City Hall Knife Incident

Riverside, Ca- On Tuesday October 21, 2003 a man flipped open a folding knife while he spoke to the City Council. He held the knife while he spoke to the Council about the effectiveness and expense of security at City Hall. At one point, he stabbed the knife into the wooden lectern.

Several police officers witnessed the incident and detained him as he left the building. They interviewed him at the police station and later released him. In compliance with Police Department Policy his name is not being released by the Police Department because he was not arrested.

Investigators reviewed a videotape of the incident the following day. The recording clearly showed the entire incident and allowed investigators to hear what the man said. The California Penal Code Section 417 (a)(1) states that for a person to be charged with brandishing of a knife, the act must be done in a “rude, angry, or threatening manner…” Penal Code Section 171b allows possession of a knife with a blade length less than four inches inside a state or local building, or at any meeting required to be open to the public.

Investigators reviewed the videotape with representatives from the Riverside County District Attorneys Office. They determined that no criminal act occurred. The knife was used in a demonstrative manner, and there was no physical or verbal threat.