UTICA, NY – On the afternoon of Friday, around 5:45 PM, Utica Police officers responded to a call regarding a male acting erratically at the intersection of Lafayette St and State St.
Upon arrival, the officers observed the male, identified as 43-year-old Joseph Arsenault, brandishing a knife in each hand and behaving in a threatening manner.
Arsenault also had a tourniquet style wrap around his upper arm with several hypodermic needles protruding.
Officers were able to defuse the situation using a Taser after the male threw the knives at one officer. Following the arrest, Arsenault was transported to a local hospital due to his physical condition.
On Saturday, he was released and formally charged at the Utica Police Department with Menacing a Police Officer (x2) and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the third degree.