Man shot in leg and arrested by Salinas police after alleged early morning vandalism spree.

Salinas Police officers shot and arrested a man on Tuesday, July 7, after he allegedly vandalized cars and smashed windows in the dark early morning hours, according to police.

Around 4:20am, on Tuesday, July 7 Salinas police began receiving calls about a man roaming near Parsons Avenue and Block Avenue yelling and moving from car to car.

“Four cars were damaged and vandalized. Some smashed windows and dented multiple times,” says Monterey County Chief Assistant District Attorney Berkley Brannon. (The District Attorney’s Office is investigating the incident.)

According to Brannon, two officers first appeared at the scene. One officer fired two rounds, shooting the man, 31-year-old Rene Maldonado Jr., in the leg and grazing his other leg. There was a kitchen knife found near the casings of the shots fired, which the suspect obtained from the home of the mother of his 9-year-old son, which is about 100 yards from the scene, Brannon says based on the DA’s initial investigation.

“[Maldonando Jr.] had come screaming, yelling at 1am and she thought he was under the influence, probably meth, so she left with her kids,” Brannon says.

Two more police officers arrived at the scene at some point after the first two officers. 

Maldonado Jr. is currently in custody at the Monterey County Jail. His injuries are not believed to be life-threatening, as the Monterey County District Attorney's Office continues to investigate the incident.

The first two police officers who appeared at the scene, including the officer who fired shots, will be interviewed by investigators on Thursday.