Full Notification

San Mateo, CA – On Wednesday, January 19, 2022 at 12:13pm, SMPD received multiple calls of an agitated male walking on W. Hillsdale Blvd. near Clearview Way. Callers stated he was throwing items at people passing, carrying a hammer, fighting a person with the hammer, and had thrown lighter fluid on a person and his dog trying to light them on fire. During the reported assault, the victim dropped his cellphone as he attempted to get the hammer away from the suspect. The suspect took the phone and fled the area.

Numerous officers were dispatched to the area and located the victim who smelled of lighter fluid but was uninjured. It was learned the suspect fled into the wooded area between W. Hillsdale Blvd., Clearview Way, Bayridge Way, and the College of San Mateo. From prior calls for service, officers were aware of a homeless subject living behind the 1600 block of Bayridge Way. They responded to this location and found the subject, who matched the description given of the suspect. Because the suspect was still agitated, a contact team was formed to include officers trained in Crisis Negotiations (CNT) and our new Mental Health Clinician. A CNT officer negotiated with the subject for approximately 45 minutes, convincing him to surrender.

The suspect, identified as Matthew Post, was arrested and booked into San Mateo County Jail for assault with a deadly weapon (hammer), assault with a caustic chemical (lighter fluid), and destruction of evidence (the stolen cellphone, which he set fire to).
 
ARRESTED / CHARGES:
Matthew Post, age 31, Transient, San Mateo, CA. 
245(a)(1) PC – Assault with a deadly weapon (two counts), 244 PC – Assault with a caustic chemical, 135PC – Destruction of evidence