UKIAH, CA., 2/3/26 — Ukiah police used Tasers to take a 43-year-old Willits man into custody Monday after he was allegedly carrying a large knife and acting erratically and prompted multiple standoffs with officers.
Robert Bell was taken into custody after officers initially responded shortly before 7:30 p.m. Monday to a report of someone with a large knife yelling and shirtless in the 500 block of North State Street, according to police.
Officers with assistance from the local nonprofit Redwood Community Services tried to negotiate with Bell for more than an hour to drop the knife, during which time he allegedly cut himself, exposed his genitals, and appeared to be under the influence of a controlled substance, police said.
Bell then allegedly stepped down from a bus stop bench while holding the knife and began walking toward a Mendocino County sheriff’s sergeant, prompting officers to deploy “less-lethal” devices at him. He fled north to the entrance of a residential building, then went into a parking lot in the 600 block of North State Street where another standoff ensued, according to police.
Officers were eventually able to use Tasers to take Bell into custody. An officer suffered a minor laceration during the arrest and was later cleared to return to duty, police said.
Bell was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, brandishing a deadly weapon, resisting arrest, and violating his probation. He was taken to a hospital for evaluation and treatment, according to police.