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 an altercation at a downtown park Wednesday morning.

Shortly after 9:50 a.m., two officers patrolling Albert Park said they found a man near a baseball field and a child care facility with drug paraphernalia and open containers of alcohol.

After officers arrested the suspect, police said he refused to cooperate and punched one of them when they tried to arrest him. Police used de-escalation techniques, but the man remained confrontational.

Additional officers were called to the scene. When they attempted to take the suspect into custody, he 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.

A few minutes later, the police arrived again and the suspect began fighting the officers. During the fight, an officer hit the man with a baton, which also had no effect.

After further attempts to de-escalate, police fired a “non-lethal” foam projectile that hit him in the abdomen. The suspect complied and was taken into custody.

Police said the suspect was taken to a hospital for medical evaluation in accordance with department protocols. He suffered a minor injury and was taken to prison after medical clearance.

No officers were injured.

The suspect was booked into the Marin County Jail on suspicion of assault on an officer, obstructing an officer with 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 upon booking and they were conducting inquiries to establish his identity.

In a statement Wednesday, police said an administrative review is conducted following department procedures following use-of-force incidents.