The movie “It” isn’t out until September, but motorists in California may have thought they were getting a preview when they spotted a creepy clown standing along Highway 101, wielding a bloody machete.

On Wednesday, deputies from the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office arrived on the scene with guns drawn to find this:

Monterey County Sheriffs Office

Police spotted 61-year-old Larry Allen Tovey holding out his thumb like a hitchhiker, local NBC station KSBW reported. He was then handcuffed, questioned and released.

“The guy wasn’t charged because we didn’t have a victim that was threatened by him with the machete,” the department wrote on Facebook, adding that the “blood” on the knife was just cotton with red dye.

Since a machete is technically a tool and not classified as a weapon, it’s not a crime to carry one in public ― unless it’s being used in a threatening manner.

“It stands to reason he may have threatened someone, but we don’t have any information on that,” the sheriff’s office wrote. “So we may not arrest on what he might have done.”

Although a psychiatric evaluation was done on the scene, Tovey did not meet the guidelines for commitment. He also didn’t meet the requirements for arrest on a charge of disturbing the peace.

On Facebook, someone asked what the clown was doing.

“Wish we knew,” the police department replied. “Right now, as far as we know, he was standing there looking at traffic.”

Tovey may not be off the hook yet. The sheriff’s office said it was still investigating the incident, and had received more information as a result of the social media attention.

The police are also advising other clowns to stay away from the highway.