ARLINGTON, MASS. (WHDH) - A car rolled down a hill in Arlington and narrowly missed a home with a family of four inside on Tuesday, and the man inside allegedly threatened residents with a knife before he was arrested, officials said.
Officers responding to a report of a car driving into a yard on Lublin Street at 1:30 p.m. found a 2016 Nissan Vera in the yard, police said, and were told a man was in the passenger’s seat of the car when it rolled down the street.
A father, mother, and their two children were inside the home but were not injured. The home was not damaged.
Both homeowners say they raced outside to find the Garces unconscious in the passenger’s seat.
“I’m in the house with my kids and I see the car rolling down with the door open. There was nobody driving it,” one of the homeowners said. “I came outside and there was somebody in the passenger’s seat, minimally responsive.”
The man, later identified as Rodolfo Garces, 53, of Fresno, California, then allegedly flashed a three-inch folding knife in front of the homeowner before fleeing the area, police said. Officers allegedly found Garces hiding in bushes near the home.
“I was trying to make sure he wasn’t hurt but then the person in the passenger’s seat seemed confused,” the other homeowner said. “His reaction was just to flee I guess.”
Police said Garces was the only person in the car. He was charged with negligent driving, leaving the scene of a car crash and assault with a dangerous weapon and is expected to be arraigned in Cambridge District Court on Wednesday.
With no damage to the home and no one injured, the family said they are feeling fortunate for the outcome of this bizarre situation.
“Given the circumstances, I think we were pretty lucky that things turned out the way they did,” the homeowner said.
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