Standoff leads to arrest of South Lake Tahoe man after he was seen walking streets with firearm

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A 31-year-old South Lake Tahoe man was arrested early Thursday after a series of events that started when a California Highway Patrol (CHP) officer observed him walking on Lake Tahoe Boulevard with what appeared to be a rifle or AR-style weapon.

At 4:40 a.m. on May 5, the CHP officer spotted Brandon William Grenesko walking near Fremont Avenue. When the officer observed what he thought was a gun, he retreated and called in for backup. Grenesko was also wearing green camouflage clothing and a green hat.

Multiple officers came in as backup, including the South Lake Tahoe Police Department, El Dorado County Sheriff's Office, and Douglas County Sheriff's Office. They converged on the area and, at 4:56 a.m., located a man matching the suspect's description in the 1000 block of Al Tahoe Blvd.

Officers contacted Grenesko from a safe distance and crisis negotiators were requested. Officers said he appeared to be in an agitated state and was speaking incoherently. Officers asked multiple times for him to drop his weapon but he refused, according to SLTPD Officer Traci Trapani.

Due to ineffective negotiations and the time law enforcement tried to communicate with Grenesko, sponge munition (a non-lethal method) was used. Trapani said this method reduces the chance of injuries.

Grenesko was taken into custody and now faces multiple felony charges:

Carrying concealed dirk or dagger
Obstructing and resisting an executive officer
Assault with a firearm on a person
Manufacturing /possession of an undetectable firearm (there was no serial number on the firearm in his possession when arrested)
Possession of a high-capacity magazine

After officers did some follow-up after the arrest, they found that the suspect had been living with his grandparents and there was damage to the interior of their home. The charge of causing injury to an elder or dependent adult was added (they did not get injured but their living arrangements were damaged).

Grenesko is currently in the El Dorado County Jail in South Lake Tahoe with a $170,000 bail hold.