Witness Takes Suspected Gunman into Custody

San Rafael police arrested a man accused of firing shotgun rounds in the direction of a downtown building Tuesday night after a witness took the suspect into custody, according to Lt. Raffaello Pata.

San Rafael resident Christopher John Woodson, 44, was booked in on two felony charges of negligently disarming a firearm. His bail is set at $10,000.

At approximately 8:52 p.m. on Oct. 18, witnesses reported seeing a man with a shotgun standing on the second story balcony of an apartment complex near the 900 block of Lincoln Ave. He fired one round in the direction of a downtown building and then  jumped, shotgun in hand, to a lower balcony and fired a second round in an unknown direction.

Before officers arrived, a witness ordered Woodson to stop and get on the ground, according to Pata. The suspect complied and the witness walked him out the front door of the complex to the officers.

Police shut down surface streets for a one-block radius and redirected downtown patrons to go inside open businesses for safety, Pata said.

“A loaded shotgun was found in a parking lot below the balcony where the suspect was seen and eventually contacted by the citizen,” he said. “The suspect was found to be in possession of several shotgun rounds as well as some knives.”
Police are continuing to investigate.