Rohnert Park man arrested after climbing roof to escape officers

ROHNERT PARK (BCN) - A 31-year-old man was arrested after a lengthy standoff in Rohnert Park early Sunday morning when he allegedly refused officers' commands to come down from two roofs, according to the city's department of public safety.

Nelson Hernandez, of Rohnert Park, was arrested on suspicion of being under the influence of a controlled substance, delaying or resisting an officer and violation of probation, according to public safety officials.

Officers responded to a report of a suspicious person in the area of Commerce Boulevard and Avram Avenue around 2:15 a.m., public safety officials said.

The reporting party said the person was climbing fences to backyards while shirtless, according to public safety officials.

The person was reportedly seen heading toward a creek path before officers reached the scene, public safety officials said.

Once officers arrived they checked the creek path and found the man, later identified as Hernandez, according to public safety officials.

When he saw the officers, Hernandez allegedly fled to Santa Alicia Drive and climbed up to a roof to an office at an apartment complex in the 100 block of Avram Avenue, according to public safety officials.

Hernandez apparently was erratic, yelled, screamed and paced back and forth on the office's roof, public safety officials said.

Officers tried to talk Hernandez into climbing down from the roof, but he instead climbed from the one-story office roof to an adjacent two-story apartment building with the help of an old flagpole, according to public safety officials.

Officers then deployed a ground ladder and an aerial ladder to give Hernandez two options to climb down from the roof, public safety officials said.

Crisis negotiators from the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office also responded to the scene and eventually Hernandez climbed down, public safety officials said.

Hernandez was taken into custody and booked into Sonoma County Jail.