SANTA ROSA – According to a Community Bulletin posted by the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office, Deputies were dispatched to a scene at the Washoe House on 2840 Roblar Road in rural Sonoma County just north of Petaluma on Monday evening, March 16.
Caller(s) reported that there was a man at the establishment brandishing a gun and making statements that he was going to kill people. The suspect also made other statements that were incoherent and could not be understood by people at the restaurant bar. The Press Democrat reported that he was complaining about men in the bar touching a woman, whom they identified as the bartender. She told them that nothing inappropriate was going on, however.
The driver pulled over at Walker and Pepper, before fleeing again.
The man left the bar in his vehicle just as Sheriff’s deputies arrived at the scene. A responding Deputy located the suspect vehicle on Walker Road near Pepper Road shortly thereafter. The Deputy initiated a traffic stop of the suspect driver who pulled over to the side of the road. The driver opened the vehicle door as the Deputy exited his vehicle and then accelerated away, and a vehicle pursuit then ensued.
The suspect attained speeds in excess of 100 mph on the rural west county roads. The pursuit lasted about 10 minutes, ending in a fiery crash when the suspect rammed his car into a tree on Highway 1 just north of Bodega Highway. The vehicle, reportedly a Subaru Outback, immediately burst into flames on impact. The Deputy attempted to free the suspect but was unable to do so, due to the fire and the severity of damage to the vehicle.
The fatal crash occurred after the man headed down Highway 1.
Fire personnel and an ambulance were dispatched to the scene where the suspect died. The suspect driver has not as yet been identified and the California Highway Patrol has taken over the investigation per Sonoma County Protocol.
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Press Democrat: Man dies following pursuit after pulling gun in Petaluma bar
