Early this morning, Julian Diaz, 31 years old, Hayward, was arrested for felony evading, resisting arrest and being under the influence of a controlled substance.
At approximately 12:21 am, a deputy was monitoring northbound traffic on Highway 101 near Lytton Springs Road when he saw a dark-colored Chevrolet sedan braking and almost coming to a complete stop on the freeway. The deputy followed the car, which was traveling at 20 miles per hour as it swerved towards the center divider. Based on the driving behavior, the deputy followed the car and turned on his emergency red and blue lights to conduct a traffic stop for a DUI investigation. The car stopped in the fast lane after approximately 100 yards. The driver, Diaz, was directed by the deputy, over a public address system, to pull over onto the right shoulder out of the roadway. Diaz sped off, ignoring the emergency lights and siren to pull over. The pursuit continued northbound highway 101 into Cloverdale with speeds ranging from 10-65 miles per hour. A Cloverdale Police Officer set up spike strips near Citrus Fair Drive. A spike-strip is a device used to impede or stop the movement of a vehicle by puncturing the tires. Diaz drove over the spike strip and eventually came to a stop north of Highway 128 exit, in Cloverdale.
The deputies performed a high-risk felony car stop on Diaz and provided explicit instruction in English and Spanish for him to get out of the car and surrender. For 40 minutes, the deputies tried speaking with Diaz. During that time, Diaz was seen throwing punches in the air and talking to himself. A chemical agent round was shot into the car, which did not affect Diaz. Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety Canine “Ori” responded to assist deputies with the standoff. Canine “Ori” jumped through the front passenger window and bit Diaz on the right arm. Diaz was seen pushing and grabbing the canine, which allowed the deputies the opportunity to pull Diaz out of the car. Diaz continued to resist and was tased by a deputy. The deputies were able to detain Diaz in handcuffs.
Diaz was transported by ambulance to a local hospital where he obtained treatment for a dog bite and medical clearance for booking.
Diaz was arrested and booked into the Sonoma County Jail for felony evading, resisting arrest and for being under the influence of a controlled substance. Diaz is currently in custody and being held on $20,000 bail.
The Sheriff’s Office is dedicated to ensuring that people who commit crimes in our community are located and arrested for those crimes in the safest manner. Occasionally, the suspects disregard public safety for their gain. In those cases, it is up to the Sheriff’s Office to stop them while keeping the safety of our community first. While this pursuit was 15 miles long, it was necessary to stop and arrest a person who has shown his intention to endanger the public. We thank those who were in the area of this pursuit for your cooperation and safe driving as peace officers worked to resolve this problem.
Prepared by: Sergeant Juan Valencia, Public Information Officer
Case No: 200306-001
Media Inquiries: (707) 565-3941
