Man arrested after being tased several times, attempted break-in in Coalinga, police say

COALINGA, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – A man was arrested after allegedly trying to break into a home in Coalinga, the Coalinga Police Department said.

Officers say they responded to the 100 block of Hoover Street on Monday at about 8 a.m. regarding a man armed with a knife who was trying to get into a home.

Upon arrival, responding officers report making contact with Joel Ulyses Maya Berber of Coalinga. Maya was standing on the sidewalk near Hoover and Pine streets, holding a shovel.

Police say officers issued commands in English and Spanish for Maya, ordering him to drop the shovel and sit on the curb. However, officers say he refused to comply and continued to speak about unrelated topics, saying he would not drop the shovel.

Eventually, investigators say he dropped the shovel but became noncompliant and assumed a fighting stance when officers attempted to apprehend him. Officers used Tasers on Maya, but he continued to resist and, at one point, even removed the probes from one Taser before falling to the ground after a successful deployment of another officer’s Taser.

Maya continued to resist once on the ground, according to officers. They say Maya also kicked them and fought them, so they had to use the Taser again. Once officers regained control, they took him into custody.

According to police, Maya was found to be in possession of a fixed-blade knife in his pocket. He was booked into the Coalinga City Jail and later transported to Fresno County Jail under suspicion of threatening an executive officer, possession of a dirk or dagger, resisting arrest and battery on a peace officer.

The police department states Maya was previously arrested twice in March in connection with stolen vehicle investigations in Coaliga. Following those arrests, the Coalinga Police Department was notified by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that an active ICE detainer was in place for Maya.