Police: Man Armed With Machete Chased Neighbors Around Tustin Neighborhood

TUSTIN (CBSLA.com) — A 44-year-old man accused of arming himself with a machete, chasing people in his Tustin neighborhood and then barricading himself inside his home is in custody Thursday.

Edward Petress was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and making criminal threats, Tustin police Sgt. Andrew Birozy said. Jail records show Petress was being held on $50,000 bail.

Tustin police officers were responding to a call about a man chasing people with a machete and arrived in the 1700 block of Saybrook Lane to find Petress holed up in his home, refusing to surrender, Birozy said.

"Nobody was injured as a result of the machete attack, but due to the severity of the crime, the Tustin/Irvine SWAT team responded to the scene in an attempt to get the suspect to safely surrender," Birozy said.

Neighbors were evacuated as a precaution. At about 5 p.m. Wednesday, Petress exited his home and was taken into custody without further incident, Birozy said.

Petress is scheduled to make his first court appearance Friday.

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