A woman was taken to a mental heath center in Sonoma County on Saturday after a 10-hour law enforcement standoff during which she threatened suicide with a knife following a traffic stop.
Around 1:45 a.m., a deputy with the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office stopped two women driving an SUV at a Valero gas station on Commerce Boulevard in Rohnert Park, about 8 miles south of Santa Rosa, according to a news release issued by the sheriff’s office.
The driver of the SUV, Tara Schober, 45, of Santa Rosa was arrested on suspicion of possessing drug paraphernalia, leaving the vehicle with the passenger. Schober was issued a citation and returned to the vehicle by the deputy around 4:25 a.m., according to the release.
When they arrived at the Valero, the passenger had locked herself in the SUV and was holding a 4- to 6-inch knife to her throat while threatening to kill herself, according to the release.
A negotiation team with the sheriff’s office and a SWAT team were called to assist, according to the release.
After about 10 hours, a clinical psychologist with the negotiation team determined that she would not be deterred, so after several warnings, the SWAT team used a flash-bang grenade to break the SUV’s windows and disorient the woman, according to the release.
At 2:17 p.m., SWAT officers entered the car and used a Taser on the woman to disarm her. She was taken to a crisis stabilization unit for mental health evaluation and treatment without arrest, according to the release.