Knife-Wielding Woman Arrested After Police Standoff In San Rafael

SAN RAFAEL, CA — Authorities arrested a woman Wednesday for threatening police officers and mental health counselors with knives during a standoff in San Rafael.

Officers were called around 5:45 p.m. to an apartment complex in the 200 block of Bayview Street to help counselors check on the welfare of Sherry Marie Petrakis, 51, of San Rafael.

Petrakis, who was pushing a shopping cart when police arrived, grabbed two fixed blade knives and threatened officers and counselors, San Rafael police Sgt. Justin Graham said.

The officers used de-escalation techniques to talk to Petrakis from a distance, and called a crisis negotiation team for assistance. A police sergeant and an officer negotiated with Petrakis for more than 15 minutes and convinced her to drop the knives, Graham said.

Petrakis was booked into Marin County Jail on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, brandishing a weapon, resisting and threatening officers and violating probation.

– Bay City News Service; Kristina Houck/Patch contributed to this report.