On 3/16/2015 at approximately 6:30 pm, Dispatched received a 911 call of a subject in the Washoe House bar/restaurant with a handgun. It was reported that the subject was brandishing the gun and made statements that he was going to kill people. At times the subject made incoherent statements that people could not understand. The subject left the bar in a vehicle as the Sheriff’s Office deputies were responding to the scene.
A deputy responding to the scene located the suspect vehicle on Walker Road near Pepper Road. The deputy initiated a traffic stop on the subject and he pulled over to the side of the road and opened the driver’s door. As the deputy exited his vehicle the suspect then accelerated away in his vehicle and a pursuit ensued.
The suspect traveled on several rural roads at speeds in excess of 100 mph. The pursuit was approximately 10 minutes in duration at which time the suspect crashed his vehicle into a tree on Highway 1 just north of Bodega Highway. The vehicle immediately burst into flames. The deputy attempted to get to the suspect but was unable to do so due to the fire and the severe damage of the vehicle. The fire department and an ambulance were immediately requested to the scene. The suspect died at the scene. At this time the suspect has not been identified. The California Highway Patrol took over the investigation per the Sonoma County Protocol.
