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Police Detain Suicidal Petaluma Woman During Threatening Confrontation

PETALUMA (CBS SF) -- A Petaluma woman allegedly threatened to shoot police and came at them with a wrench Friday after they attempted to stop her from hurting herself.

Police responded to the 100 block of Burlington Drive shortly after 2:30 p.m. after a report that Sharon Marie Poncia, 52, was suicidal and threatening to harm herself, according to Sgt. Ralph Evans.

When officers arrived on the scene, Poncia allegedly refused to come outside and began yelling at them that she would "kill them" if they harmed her dogs, Evans said.

Police attempted to negotiate with Poncia, but at that point she told them she had a gun and would shoot them. She was holding her hand behind her back when she made the statement, Evans said.

At around 3:20 p.m., Poncia stepped out of a side garage door yelled at officers to go away. She stepped back inside briefly and came out with a crescent wrench, which she held up over her head as she advanced toward the officers, Evans said.

After she yelled at police to shoot her and ignored orders to
stop, police fired four bean bag rounds at her, Evans said.

Poncia dropped the wrench and was taken into custody. She was treated at Memorial Hospital for injuries caused by the bean bag rounds, and was held overnight for observation before being booked on suspicion of threatening a police officer and assault on an officer with a deadly weapon, Evans said.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed)

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