Petaluma standoff ends in arrest of domestic violence suspect

A Petaluma man was arrested Thursday night after barricading himself inside his house as officers tried to contact him about a domestic violence report, police said.

Petaluma police responded initially to a 911 call made by a female victim at 7:18 p.m. reporting domestic violence at a residence on Grouse Lane between Quail Drive and Ivy Lane, according to a news release.

The victim told police she had retreated to a bedroom with her two children, barricading the door behind them.

When officers arrived at the residence, they saw the man the victim had reported, Nicholas Adrian Dale, 26. Police said Dale was closing the garage door and a short time later, barricaded the front door to the home.

The woman and her children also remained barricaded inside the bedroom, police said, as officers began to try to establish communication with Dale. Police learned that Dale owned a firearm. After several attempts to establish communication with him were unsuccessful, the Petaluma Police Crisis Response Unit was mobilized.

The unit consists of a Hostage Negotiations Team, a tactical dispatch and medical team and a SWAT team. Police also sent out a Nixle alert asking the public to avoid the area of Quail Drive between Crinella Drive and Daniel Drive at about 9:20 p.m.

After the crisis response personnel arrived, negotiators were able to establish communication with Dale, the release said. They negotiated for “several minutes,” police said, before Dale agreed to exit the residence. He was taken into custody without incident, according to the release. Dale had no firearm with him, police said, but was wearing a bulletproof vest under his clothing.

The public was given the “all clear” via Nixle at about 10:30 p.m. Thursday.

Dale was booked in the Sonoma County Main Adult Detention Facility and held without bail Friday on suspicion of felony domestic violence.

A phone call to Petaluma police Friday was not returned.

You can reach Staff Writer Kaylee Tornay at 707-521-5250 or kaylee.tornay@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @ka_tornay.