Man pointing toy gun at patrons of McHenry shopping center arrested

A man with what turned out to be a toy gun prompted multiple calls to 911 when he started pointing it at people at a busy Modesto shopping center Wednesday morning.

The man was staggering and appeared to be under the influence as he pointed the toy revolver at people and at himself near the Hobby Lobby on McHenry Avenue near Floyd Avenue.

The man continued south several blocks and at some point tossed the gun, said Modesto Police Department spokeswoman Sharon Bear.

Modesto Police caught up to him near Party City and took him into custody at gunpoint.

A witness found the toy gun and brought it to officers, Bear said.

William Reeves, a 24-year-old transient from Merced, was arrested on suspicion of brandishing a weapon.

This story was originally published April 10, 2019 at 1:50 PM.