Man threatens to kill neighbor, barricades himself two blocks away from school, deputies say

Tulare County Sheriff’s deputies say a man was arrested after he threatened to kill his neighbor with a knife and then barricaded himself inside his home two blocks from an elementary school Friday afternoon in Cutler.

According to a sheriff’s office report on social media, about a dozen deputies responded to the area of Avenue 404 and Mueller Road near Cutler Elementary School around 2 p.m. for a knife-wielding man barricaded inside his home.

Deputies tried to negotiate with suspect Ramiro Garcia, 49, but he was unresponsive. Authorities say they cut off power to the home and maneuvered a robot inside.

Garcia was located inside and determined to be unarmed. He was taken into custody and is facing charges of felony criminal threats and committing a crime while out on bail from a previous crime.

School officials were notified of the incident and parents were called to pick up their children, the sheriff’s office reported.