CERES, Calif. — A Livingston, Calif. man is behind bars after making false bomb threats in Ceres on Friday. Armando Delacruz called the Ceres Police Department around 8:30 p.m., telling them that he was being chased and shot at.
When officers arrived at the Shell gas station on 4th Street, they found Delacruz sitting in a Chevy pickup truck. He yelled at the officers that if he exited the truck would explode, according to police.
Crews with the police department, California Highway Patrol and the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department evacuated several nearby businesses for safety.
While speaking with the man, officers determined that Delacruz was under the influence of a controlled substance, since he was not speaking rationally. Because he would not exit the truck, they then used pepper balls to force him out.
Delacruz rolled out of the truck and was arrested while a bomb robot checked the truck. No explosives or weapons were found. Delacruz was booked into the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department. He faces charges of being under the influence of drugs, reporting a false bomb threat and possession of drug paraphernalia.
The area was declared safe at 11 p.m.