On January 3rd, 2020, at approximately 2:30 PM, Atwater Police Department Officers Cardoza and Duncan responded to the area of Ralston Park, on Third Street near Elm Avenue, for a report of a male who had just brandished a handgun at the reporting party.

Officer Cardoza located the reporting party and his girlfriend who told him that a Hispanic male had just pointed a semiautomatic pistol at them at Ralston Park and threatened to shoot the female and then fled the area on foot.

As other officers began searching the area, Officer Lee called out over the police radio that he had located the subject running through an alley near Drakeley Avenue and Third Street and that the subject was carrying a handgun.

Officer Lee gave chase on foot at that point and continued to update other officers of the subject’s location.

Officer Cardoza and Officer Huff located the male subject running south on Fifth Street with the firearm in his hand.

The male continued to flee from officers and held the gun to his head several times before stopping in the 1600 block of Drakeley Street.

The male subject held the gun to his head again as officers shouted commands at him to drop it, he eventually complied with their commands and dropped the firearm before being taken into custody.

The subject was identified as 19-year-old Julio Cisneros Leon. The firearm was found to be loaded with a round in the chamber.

Cisneros Leon was later booked into Merced County Jail on charges of Assault with a Deadly Weapon, Criminal Threats, Delaying/Obstructing a Peace Officer, Carrying a Loaded Firearm in Public and Possession of a Firearm with no Serial Number.