Man admitted to hospital for mental health crisis rather than taken to jail
Santa Rosa police recently de-escalated a situation in which a man in the midst of a mental health crisis had allegedly brandished a knife at several people.
On February 22nd, officers responded to a southeast Santa Rosa neighborhood on reports of an individual behaving erratically and trying to fight people. Police say the individual, whose name has not been released, became increasingly agitated during an appointment with his social worker and eventually armed himself with a knife.
Responding officers posted up a safe distance from the individual, who by this time was standing in the roadway, and attempted to de-escalate the situation while requesting further assistance.
At some point, police say, the individual moved toward an apartment complex with people standing out front and began brandishing the knife and threatening people. When he tried to break into one of the apartments, officers made the call to immediately disarm him using less-lethal munitions, allowing them to safely take him into custody.
Through speaking with the individual’s social worker, witnesses, and the individual himself, officers determined he’d been experiencing a severe mental health crisis. Rather than take him to jail, officers had him admitted to a hospital for proper treatment.
