Petaluma Man With Sword Arrested After Standoff

PETALUMA, CA — A 41-year-old man from Santa Rosa is facing assault and weapons offenses for allegedly strangling a family member during an argument and threatening to kill her with a sword, Petaluma police said Saturday.

Shortly after 10 p.m. Friday, a woman in Petaluma called 911 to report the incident at an apartment on North McDowell Boulevard.

When officers arrived, the victim was escorted out of the apartment, evaluated by paramedics and determined to be OK, police said.

Police said the suspect, identified as Jeremy Johnson, was still in the apartment with a female friend and was refusing to come out. Officers brought in hostage negotiators, who attempted to speak with him on a cell phone over the course of several hours.

The negotiators were eventually able to speak to him via a backdoor balcony, and after several hours he surrendered without incident, police said.

Johnson was later booked at the Sonoma County Jail for assault with a deadly weapon, brandishing a deadly weapon and criminal threats, according to police.

Officers made contact with Johnson's friend who had been in the apartment with him and determined that she had not been held against her will. The sword was later recovered from the apartment, police said.

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