Full Notification

For Immediate Release
Tuesday, January 16, 2024 4:41 PM  RP24-0000170
 
Contact:        Lt. Matt Snodgrass            584-2600       Monday Thursday, 1PM –  11 PM
                       
 At 1:35 PM, a Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety officer contacted a 58-year-old male subject at Adrian Drive and Southwest Blvd. Immediately upon contact the subject pulled out a knife and stuck it to his neck. The officer began communicating with the subject requesting him to drop the knife and seek mental health assistance. The subject began walking away and stopped in the area of College View Drive.
 
Additional Rohnert Park Public Safety police officers arrived on scene and blocked off the area to the public. Officer’s began establishing a rapport with the subject who continued to hold the knife to his neck. The subject began escalating the situation by cutting his neck several times including his clothing.
 
Sonoma County Fire Medical personnel and Rohnert Park Public Safety fire were staged during the incident as a precaution. Sonoma County Sherriff Hostage Negotiations Team was contacted and arrived on scene to assist.
 
At approximately 2:33 PM after communicating with the subject for nearly an hour and him continually escalating his behavior with the knife by lunging at officers, the subject slipped and dropped the knife. Officers used the opportunity to deploy less lethal force utilizing a 40 mm soft sponge round, less lethal bean bag rounds, and deploying a taser.
 
The subject was safely taken into custody and transported to a local hospital. Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety will forward charges to the Sonoma County District attorneys office. Due to the mental health nature of the incident the subject’s identity will not be released.