Terrified neighbors outraged as knife-wielding lunatic allowed back on streets

• 56-year-old Brian Mattson, a Sacramento-area man, was quickly released after a knife incident, sparking outrage.
• Misdemeanor trespassing charge and probation denial led to Mattson’s 90-minute release, angering residents.
• Mattson was re-arrested hours later in Arden-Arcade; a probation hold was approved, sparking community action.

A Sacramento-area man accused of terrifying a neighborhood with a knife spent only 90 minutes locked up before he was released and arrested again, triggering anger from residents.

56-year-old Brian Mattson, was first arrested Thursday night in the Arden-Arcade area near La Sierra Drive. He was seen on Ring cameras holding a knife, approaching homes and acting erratically.

Doorbell camera footage of the encounter spread quickly and alarmed residents, he was arrested Saturday.

Despite the circumstances, investigators said the only charge available was misdemeanor trespassing.

Because Mattson is on felony probation, deputies requested a probation violation to keep him in custody. That request was denied by the Sacramento County Probation Department, leading to his release.

“We asked probation for a probation violation to hopefully keep him in custody longer. That was declined,” Sgt. Amar Gandhi told KCRA. “So he was out within, I want to say, about 90 minutes or so. So he got in and out of jail super fast.”

The quick release sparked immediate frustration in the Arden-Arcade neighborhood, where residents were already shaken by the scary, knife-wielding man approaching homes.

Neighbor Michael Deauville told KCRA, “It makes us want to dive back in understanding how the system works, because clearly there’s a system in place here that I will admit I’m not as familiar with 48 or 72 hours ago as I feel like I am now.” 

He also said, “there are a lot of pieces of this pie, and it’s so easy to point the finger at one individual group where maybe there was a lapse in judgment or something that could have been done better.”

Hours after being released, deputies were called again, this time to a business near Fair Oaks Boulevard and San Lucas Way for another trespassing report.

Officers arrived and found Mattson on scene and took him into custody without incident.

This time, officials said a probation violation hold was approved. 

Mattson was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail, where he remained in custody without bail.

The sheriff’s office released his photo to the public and urged anyone who may have had contact with him or been a victim of unreported incidents to come forward.

 Investigators said additional reports could lead to further charges.

Residents are now pushing for changes and discussing stronger neighborhood coordination, including the possibility of a community watch group.

“We have a future date coming up with local members of our local area and our neighborhood to kind of sit down and talk about this,” Deauville said.

He also pointed to the gap between emergency calls and police arrival.

“Knowing how we can protect ourselves and make sure that our community members and neighbors are safe is important until the experts arrive,” he said.

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