Man accused of attacking San Rafael police officers during arrest in city park
Police in San Rafael arrested a man after he allegedly attacked officers during a confrontation at a park in the city's downtown Wednesday morning.
Shortly after 9:50 a.m., two officers patrolling Albert Park said they found a man near a baseball field and childcare facility with drug paraphernalia and open alcohol containers.
After officers detained the suspect, police said he refused to cooperate and punched one of them as they attempted to place him under arrest. Police used de-escalation techniques, but the man remained confrontational.
Additional officers were called to the scene. When they tried to take the suspect into custody, the suspect began to resist again.
Police then used a stun gun on the suspect, which they said had "minimal effect." Another officer used pepper spray on the man, which also had little effect on him.
Several minutes later, police moved in again and the suspect began to fight the officers. An officer struck the man with a baton during the fight, which also had no effect.
After more attempts at de-escalation, police fired a "less-than-lethal" foam projectile, striking him in the lowered abdomen. The suspect complied and was taken into custody.
Police said the suspect was taken to a hospital for medical evaluation, per department protocol. He suffered a minor injury and was transported to jail after being cleared by a doctor.
No officers were injured.
The suspect was booked into the Marin County Jail on suspicion of assaulting an officer, obstructing an officer using threats and / or violence, possession of narcotics and possession of an open container in a public park. Police said the suspect refused to identify himself during booking and that they would investigate to determine his identity.
In a statement Wednesday, police said an administrative review would be performed, per department procedures following use-of-force incidents.
