Man Waving Machete Arrested

Chinese Camp, CA – Tuolumne County Sheriff Deputies arrest a man armed with a machete and then discovered more weapons where he was camping out.

A call came into dispatch on Saturday morning reporting that 34-year-old William Castner was yelling and waving a machete near the corner of Main Street and Red Hills Road in Chinese Camp. The caller also reported that Castner had taken a man’s motorcycle helmet and repeatedly pounded it on the ground until it broke.

When deputies arrived on the scene, Castner was gone. They were directed to an abandoned home that he was known to be squatting in and during a search uncovered nine homemade “zip guns.”  Most of the weapons were loaded with live ammunition, according to sheriff’s officials.

Castner was spotted just down the road from the home and tried to run when deputies caught up with him. After a brief struggle he was handcuffed.  Castner was arrested for possession of the “zip guns” and resisting arrest.