Sword attacks in Santa Rosa precede 23-year-old man’s arrest

File photo of handcuffs on table. Close up of metal handcuffs File photo of handcuffs on table. Close up of metal handcuffs Photo: Rafe Swan / Getty Image Photo: Rafe Swan / Getty Image Image 1 of / 28 Caption Close Sword attacks in Santa Rosa precede 23-year-old man’s arrest 1 / 28 Back to Gallery

A sword-wielding man broke several car windows and assaulted two people Monday night in Santa Rosa, police said.

Officers were dispatched at 11:49 p.m. to the 500 block of West Ninth Street, where a man told police that a swordsman had broken several windows on his car. Someone who tried to block the suspect was struck on the leg with the sword, police said.

Less than an hour later, Santa Rosa police returned to the area after reports of another sword attack. After a verbal altercation, authorities said, the suspect smashed the window of a car that the victim was sitting in with a blunt object and then stabbed him in the face.

Officers detained 23-year-old Brian Rivas-Lagunes at the scene and linked him to the earlier vandalization and attack. A rusty sword was found nearby at his home, police said.

“We suspect the motive in the first incident was related to an outstanding debt less than $50,” said Sgt. Ryan Hepp, of the Santa Rosa Police Department. “The second incident started as an argument over the suspect making excessive noise in the street then quickly escalated.”

Rivas-Lagunes faces three felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon and vandalism. He is being held on $60,000 bail in the Sonoma County Jail.

Gwendolyn Wu is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: gwendolyn.wu@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @gwendolynawu