Man arrested after hourslong standoff in west Santa Rosa

A man was arrested late Friday after barricading himself in his car along a west Santa Rosa road for almost four hours before he was apprehended, according to the Santa Rosa Police Department.

Bruce Discher, 50, was arrested shortly before midnight at a shopping center just east of Sebastopol and Stony Point roads after being pulled over at 8:19 p.m., said Santa Rosa Police Sgt. Chris Mahurin.

Officers had suspicions when they pulled Discher over, as he had four outstanding misdemeanor and felony warrants out for his arrest, Mahurin said. He also was identified as the suspect in another Santa Rosa police criminal threats investigation, and the vehicle he was driving had been reported stolen.

Because it was a high-risk stop, officers from a safe distance ordered Discher to exit his vehicle, Mahurin said. Discher refused and made threats to shoot the officers, including movements that led officers to believe that he might have a firearm in the vehicle.

After two hours of attempting to persuade Discher to leave his sport utility vehicle, officers from the Police Department’s hostage negotiations and SWAT team took over, Mahurin said. They communicated with him after officers were able to prop open the back door of the SUV that Discher had been driving.

After Discher refused to leave the vehicle, officers at 11:57 p.m. shot tear gas through the back of the car. After leaving the car, Discher was still not complying with police commands, so an officer fired a rubber bullet and a Sonoma County Sheriff’s deputy subdued the suspect, Mahurin said.

Discher was arrested and treated at a local hospital for injuries sustained during his apprehension, police said. He was booked into the Sonoma County Jail on the outstanding warrants and also on suspicion of felony obstruction of a police officer, criminal threats and vehicle theft.