Suspected rock thrower breaks Santa Rosa police window

Santa Rosa police suspect a transient tossed a 5-pound rock into a front glass window of the police department lobby, then ran, accosting people as he went until officers caught up with him a few blocks away.

The rock hit the glass about 2:40 p.m. Monday at the Sonoma Avenue station on the edge of downtown Santa Rosa. The impact broke the window, which then was covered with boards. No one in the lobby at the time was injured, said Santa Rosa police Sgt. Jeneane Kucker.

The man ran eastward on Sonoma Avenue, spitting at one man and yelling at others before officers stopped him a few blocks away, near Doyle Park Drive, Kucker said.

The man took a fighting stance when confronted and ignored repeated commands to surrender, said the sergeant.

An officer then shocked him with an electric barb and Clarence Williamson III, 38, was taken into custody. He was arrested on suspicion of felony vandalism, threatening an officer and resisting arrest. Williamson remained in custody Wednesday in the Sonoma County Jail. Bail was set at $10,000.

You can reach Staff Writer Randi Rossmann at 707-521-5412 or randi.rossmann@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @rossmannreport.