San Rafael, CA – On Wednesday, 11/06/24, SRPD Officers arrested an unidentified male suspect for several charges, which included striking an officer, resisting a peace officer, and possession of narcotics.  Officers encountered the suspect and detained him for committing several law violations while at Albert Park.  

At 9:54 A.M., two SRPD officers were patrolling Albert Park in San Rafael’s Downtown.  The patrol was being conducted in response to community concerns and as part of the department’s crime prevention efforts.

Within minutes of being in the park, the SRPD officers observed the unidentified suspect near the baseball field and a childcare facility while in possession of drug paraphernalia and open alcohol containers.  The suspect was detained and refused to cooperate with officers.  When officers went to place the suspect under arrest, he began to resist physically and punched one of the officers.  Officers disengaged from the suspect and started to use de-escalation techniques and verbal commands to gain compliance.  During the de-escalation attempts, the suspect remained verbally and physically confrontational.  Additional officers were called to the scene.

Officers then went to physically take the suspect into custody, and he began to physically resist officers again.  An officer used a conductive energy device (CED), commonly known as a Taser, at the suspect, which had minimal effect.  Due to the CED not working and the suspect still physically fighting, another officer used pepper spray, which also had little effect.  During this confrontation, the suspect also removed the CED connection from his abdomen during the deployment. Simultaneously, officers continued to give the suspect clear instructions.

Officers again disengaged and began using de-escalation techniques while giving the suspect clear verbal commands.  Officers tried to reason with him to gain his cooperation, but this was unsuccessful.  After several minutes, officers moved in again, and the suspect began to physically fight.  An officer struck the suspect with a baton while he was fighting, and it, too, had no effect.

Additional commands and de-escalation were attempted.  Out of concern for the officers’ safety and to minimize severe injury to the suspect, a less-than-lethal foam projectile was used, which struck him in the lower abdomen.  The suspect finally complied once the less-than-lethal foam projectile was used.  The suspect was taken into custody, and officers immediately began to provide first aid.  Per department protocol, in these types of cases, an ambulance transported the suspect to a local area hospital for further medical evaluation.  The suspect only had a minor injury and was medically cleared by a doctor.

The suspect was booked into the Marin County Jail for assaulting an officer, obstructing and dissuading an officer from carrying out their duties using threats and/or violence, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of narcotics, and possession of an open container in a public park.  When booked, the suspect still refused to identify himself, and Marin County Jail officials will investigate to determine his identity.

The officer who was assaulted during this incident was not injured.  The incident did not impact the childcare facility’s operations.

Based on this incident, the San Rafael Police Department is promptly informing the public via this press release and on our social media platforms, prioritizing community transparency and safety.  Per SRPD procedures, all use-of-force incidents, including this one, will go through an administrative review to ensure compliance with the law and department policies.