Community
Police Rescue Woman and Her Dogs After She Ignites
Gasoline Can Inside a Vehicle
Petaluma, CA - On Sunday, June 18, 2023, at 11:45 pm, officers were dispatched to the 400 block of E Street for reoccurring complaints regarding suspected drug activity and disturbances related to a female subject who appeared to have been living out of a vehicle. Officers arrived and observed the vehicle’s windows were completely obstructed and covered. They attempted to speak with the subject who refused to talk with them. The subject rolled down the driver’s window slightly and dropped a lit piece of paper out of the vehicle. The officers disengaged and re-contacted the reporting party to obtain additional information before attempting again to check the welfare of the subject.
Upon recontacting the subject, she removed the coverings from the driver’s window revealing a plastic gas container in her lap. The subject then sparked a lighter and brought it to the spout of the gas can causing it to ignite which also set herself on fire. Officers requested an emergency response from the Petaluma Fire Department. Officers retrieved emergency equipment and fire extinguishers from their patrol vehicles. Officers broke the windows of the vehicle to gain access to the woman and her four dogs, while also attempting to extinguish the fire. The officers pulled the woman and her dogs from the fully engulfed vehicle and began rendering aid. The woman was transported by ambulance to a regional trauma center with life threatening injuries. All four dogs were rescued with minor injuries and are being cared for by North Bay Animal Services.
The investigation into this incident is active and ongoing. Based on the observations of officers on scene interacting with the woman, her actions appeared intentional and consistent with someone trying to injure themselves or someone else. The woman’s identity is being withheld due to medical confidentiality.
If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis in Petaluma, help is available by calling call 9-1-1 for emergency police/fire/medical or for the mobile crisis response team here in Petaluma called SAFE (Specialized Assistance for Everyone) or 988 for the suicide crisis hotline. The SAFE team can also be called directly at 707.781.1234. Additional mental health resources in Sonoma County can be found here.
The involved officers who provided emergency assistance during this incident received minor injuries including burns and lacerations from the glass and have been offered additional trauma support services as needed from trained counselors, who specialize in support for first responders.
We would like to thank the neighbors in the area who notified us of the suspicious activity in their neighborhood as well as those who witnessed the tragic event and provided statements to our investigators. If anyone has additional information or witnessed the incident and has not spoken to an investigator, please call 707.778.4373 and reference the report number 23-2699.
Media inquiries may be directed to Lieutenant Garrett Glaviano at [email protected] or phone 707.778.4439.
Police Rescue Woman and Her Dogs After She Ignites
Gasoline Can Inside a Vehicle
Police Rescue Woman and Her Dogs After She Ignites
Gasoline Can Inside a Vehicle
Gasoline Can Inside a Vehicle
Petaluma, CA - On Sunday, June 18, 2023, at 11:45 pm, officers were dispatched to the 400 block of E Street for reoccurring complaints regarding suspected drug activity and disturbances related to a female subject who appeared to have been living out of a vehicle. Officers arrived and observed the vehicle’s windows were completely obstructed and covered. They attempted to speak with the subject who refused to talk with them. The subject rolled down the driver’s window slightly and dropped a lit piece of paper out of the vehicle. The officers disengaged and re-contacted the reporting party to obtain additional information before attempting again to check the welfare of the subject.
Upon recontacting the subject, she removed the coverings from the driver’s window revealing a plastic gas container in her lap. The subject then sparked a lighter and brought it to the spout of the gas can causing it to ignite which also set herself on fire. Officers requested an emergency response from the Petaluma Fire Department. Officers retrieved emergency equipment and fire extinguishers from their patrol vehicles. Officers broke the windows of the vehicle to gain access to the woman and her four dogs, while also attempting to extinguish the fire. The officers pulled the woman and her dogs from the fully engulfed vehicle and began rendering aid. The woman was transported by ambulance to a regional trauma center with life threatening injuries. All four dogs were rescued with minor injuries and are being cared for by North Bay Animal Services.
The investigation into this incident is active and ongoing. Based on the observations of officers on scene interacting with the woman, her actions appeared intentional and consistent with someone trying to injure themselves or someone else. The woman’s identity is being withheld due to medical confidentiality.
If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis in Petaluma, help is available by calling call 9-1-1 for emergency police/fire/medical or for the mobile crisis response team here in Petaluma called SAFE (Specialized Assistance for Everyone) or 988 for the suicide crisis hotline. The SAFE team can also be called directly at 707.781.1234. Additional mental health resources in Sonoma County can be found here.
The involved officers who provided emergency assistance during this incident received minor injuries including burns and lacerations from the glass and have been offered additional trauma support services as needed from trained counselors, who specialize in support for first responders.
We would like to thank the neighbors in the area who notified us of the suspicious activity in their neighborhood as well as those who witnessed the tragic event and provided statements to our investigators. If anyone has additional information or witnessed the incident and has not spoken to an investigator, please call 707.778.4373 and reference the report number 23-2699.
Media inquiries may be directed to Lieutenant Garrett Glaviano at [email protected] or phone 707.778.4439.
Address/Location
Petaluma Police Department
969 Petaluma Blvd N
Petaluma, CA 94952
Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 707-778-4372