A 34-year-old man was arrested around 8 p.m. Monday on suspicion of trespassing and disorderly conduct, Tempe police spokesman Sgt. Steve Carbajal said.
Daniel J. Dahlstrom reportedly entered the Islamic Cultural Center at Seventh Street and Forest Avenue yelling and cursing nonsensically.
Dahlstrom was asked to leave three times before he exited the center, Carbajal said.
He was carrying an item originally believed to be a sword by people inside the center. Later, it was mistaken for a meat cleaver. When the man was arrested, police impounded the weapon — a spatula.
The suspect reportedly threatened two people with the spatula, and charges of aggravated assault are being considered, Carbajal said.
Though the weapon is not considered a deadly weapon, the man may have used it violently, Carbajal said.
Dahlstrom was transported to the Tempe City Jail and held pending charges.
